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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. shower — to wash
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. present — the time now
  7. sharp — clever
  8. tube — a container
  9. tear — to rip
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. tear — from crying
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. shower — rain
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. tube — the underground
  20. pass — a permit
  21. tear — from crying
  22. present — there
  23. present — a gift
  24. tube — in a tire

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com