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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — from crying
  3. rush — hurry
  4. pitch — completely
  5. tear — to rip
  6. stand — to bear
  7. last — to go on
  8. craft — a skill
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. last — final
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. net — in sport
  13. last — finally
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. net — for catching
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. craft — boats
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. net — after costs
  24. rush — a thrill

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