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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. tear — from crying
  3. lean — to bend
  4. tear — to rip
  5. tear — from crying
  6. track — to keep track
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. wound — an injury
  10. ground — the earth
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. fine — high quality
  13. fine — all right
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. ground — a position
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. track — a path
  20. lean — thin
  21. bat — the animal
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. ground — crushed
  24. track — a song

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