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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. tear — to rip
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. craft — a skill
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. tear — from crying
  9. present — the time now
  10. prune — to trim
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. stand — to bear
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. present — there
  16. tear — from crying
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. chair — a leader
  21. present — a gift
  22. craft — boats
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. prune — to trim

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