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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 124 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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. ground — crushed
  3. stand — to bear
  4. tear — from crying
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — an injury
  8. present — a gift
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. present — the time now
  11. season — of the year
  12. cue — a signal
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. tear — to rip
  15. swing — in golf
  16. swing — music
  17. ground — the earth
  18. tear — from crying
  19. season — in sport
  20. cue — for pool
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. cue — a hint
  23. swing — to play on
  24. ground — a position

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