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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. pit — in a race
  3. squash — the sport
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. lean — to bend
  6. tear — to rip
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. tear — from crying
  9. dip — to sink
  10. pop — music
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. pop — soda
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. squash — to crush
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. band — a ring
  17. lean — thin
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. tear — from crying
  21. stand — to bear
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. pit — a hole
  24. pop — to visit

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