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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. stem — to come from
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. pit — in a race
  7. chip — to eat
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. chip — for betting
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. tear — from crying
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. game — a match
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. tear — from crying
  22. pit — a hole
  23. game — wild animals
  24. pass — a permit

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