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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  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. tear — to rip
  2. rush — hurry
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. tear — from crying
  5. spell — magic
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. spell — letters
  10. pit — in a race
  11. lean — to bend
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. pit — a hole
  14. clip — a video
  15. bass — the fish
  16. clip — for paper
  17. bass — low music
  18. spell — a short time
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. clip — to cut
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. lean — thin
  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