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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. tear — from crying
  3. board — to get on
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. game — a match
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. stem — to come from
  10. game — wild animals
  11. board — a committee
  12. drill — army training
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. drill — a practice
  15. tear — to rip
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. drill — the tool
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. stand — to bear
  20. lean — to bend
  21. lean — thin
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. sharp — clever
  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