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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 120 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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  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. pitch — a sports field
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — from crying
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. tear — to rip
  6. bound — tied together
  7. pitch — completely
  8. capital — money
  9. file — a tool
  10. pop — to visit
  11. capital — a city
  12. pass — a permit
  13. bound — obliged
  14. file — a line of people
  15. pop — soda
  16. club — for golf
  17. club — a group
  18. pop — music
  19. bound — certain
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. club — for dancing
  23. file — a document
  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