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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. spell — magic
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — from crying
  6. cap — of ice
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. race — humankind
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. spell — a short time
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. cap — a hat
  14. chair — a leader
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. race — the arms race
  17. spell — letters
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. tear — to rip
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. race — a contest
  22. cap — a lid
  23. pitch — completely
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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