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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. bat — the animal
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. kick — in football
  6. cold — an illness
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. cap — of ice
  9. cue — a hint
  10. cap — a lid
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. cue — a signal
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. tear — from crying
  17. cue — for pool
  18. cold — not warm
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. rock — music
  21. tear — from crying
  22. rock — a stone
  23. cap — a hat
  24. rock — to move gently

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