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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. ground — crushed
  3. ground — the earth
  4. row — a line
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. kid — to tease
  8. pass — a permit
  9. tear — from crying
  10. pit — a hole
  11. rock — music
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. tear — to rip
  14. row — to paddle
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. tear — from crying
  17. ground — a position
  18. kid — child
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. pit — in a race
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. rock — a stone
  24. deal — to handle

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