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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 116 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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. last — final
  4. bank — for money
  5. bank — for money
  6. rash — hasty
  7. pitch — completely
  8. last — to go on
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. file — a line of people
  11. object — to protest
  12. tear — to rip
  13. bank — of a river
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. file — a tool
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. object — an aim
  18. file — a document
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — from crying
  21. last — finally
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. rash — a series

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