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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. pit — a hole
  5. fine — high quality
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. firm — a company
  9. rash — a series
  10. firm — decided
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — to rip
  13. firm — steady
  14. fine — all right
  15. cold — an illness
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. tear — from crying
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. lean — to bend
  20. lean — thin
  21. bat — the animal
  22. pit — in a race
  23. cold — not warm
  24. rash — hasty

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