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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. rock — music
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. tear — from crying
  8. game — wild animals
  9. shower — to wash
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. rock — a stone
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. tear — to rip
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. lie — to recline
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. game — a match
  21. tear — from crying
  22. shower — rain
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. stem — to come from

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