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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 116 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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. cap — a lid
  3. hand — help
  4. pitch — completely
  5. club — for dancing
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. cap — of ice
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. tear — from crying
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. club — a group
  13. tear — from crying
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. hand — in cards
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. stem — to come from
  20. cap — a hat
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. club — for golf
  23. board — a committee
  24. board — to get on

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