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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. tear — from crying
  3. scale — size or range
  4. present — there
  5. pass — a permit
  6. object — to protest
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. scale — in music
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. tear — to rip
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. capital — a city
  13. tear — from crying
  14. bulb — for light
  15. object — a thing
  16. capital — money
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. bulb — for light
  21. object — an aim
  22. present — a gift
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. leaves — lets stay

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