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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 116 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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468
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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. cell — a phone
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. land — ground
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. fine — all right
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. tear — to rip
  13. pitch — completely
  14. pit — in a race
  15. cell — in biology
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. land — a country
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. pit — a hole
  20. land — to come down
  21. fine — high quality
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. tear — from crying
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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