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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. fine — high quality
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. board — a committee
  5. tear — to rip
  6. firm — decided
  7. mate — a friend
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. board — to get on
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. firm — steady
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. mate — a partner
  14. fine — all right
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. mate — to breed
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. tear — from crying
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. firm — a company
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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