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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. tear — from crying
  4. spell — letters
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. firm — decided
  10. lean — to bend
  11. pitch — completely
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. tear — to rip
  14. spell — a short time
  15. lean — thin
  16. court — of law
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. firm — steady
  20. court — of a king
  21. spell — magic
  22. tear — from crying
  23. court — for sport
  24. date — the fruit

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