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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. club — for golf
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. face — to point toward
  6. tear — from crying
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. foot — a measure
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. face — to confront
  11. club — a group
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. tear — to rip
  14. club — for dancing
  15. band — a ring
  16. face — part of the head
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. mine — for digging
  19. band — a music group
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. pitch — completely
  24. pitch — a sports field

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