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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. lean — to bend
  3. craft — a skill
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. dip — to sink
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. pit — in a race
  8. present — the time now
  9. present — a gift
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. bass — low music
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. lean — thin
  16. present — there
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. tear — to rip
  19. craft — boats
  20. pit — a hole
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. tear — from crying

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