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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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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. tear — to rip
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tear — from crying
  5. court — of a king
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. court — of law
  8. pitch — completely
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. bat — the animal
  14. pop — to visit
  15. pop — soda
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. pop — music
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. court — for sport
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. mark — a grade
  24. mark — a trace

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