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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. pit — in a race
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. ball — a great time
  5. tube — a container
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. pit — a hole
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tube — the underground
  11. ball — a dance
  12. stock — goods
  13. lean — to bend
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. bat — the animal
  17. stock — shares
  18. lean — thin
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. tear — from crying
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. lean — to rest against

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