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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. pitch — completely
  3. rash — a series
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. tear — from crying
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. fine — high quality
  8. fine — all right
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. mine — for digging
  11. lean — thin
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. tear — to rip
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. wake — a trail
  18. rash — hasty
  19. track — to keep track
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. track — a song
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. track — a path
  24. tear — from crying

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