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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 is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. tear — from crying
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. fine — all right
  6. tube — a container
  7. fine — high quality
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. tear — from crying
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. land — ground
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. chest — of your body
  17. tube — the underground
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. chest — a box
  21. pitch — completely
  22. land — a country
  23. chest — of your body
  24. land — to come down

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