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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 120 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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. tear — from crying
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. tear — from crying
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. drill — a practice
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. drill — the tool
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitch — completely
  20. pass — a permit
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. tear — to rip
  24. drill — army training

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