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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. fall — the season
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. tear — to rip
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — from crying
  7. hand — in cards
  8. fall — to drop
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — to be able to
  11. date — the fruit
  12. can — a tin
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. pop — to visit
  15. stand — to bear
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. fall — to drop
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. hand — help
  21. pop — soda
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. stand — for spectators

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