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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — to rip
  4. fall — to drop
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. race — humankind
  7. pit — a hole
  8. fall — to drop
  9. race — the arms race
  10. staff — a stick
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. staff — employees
  14. tear — from crying
  15. race — a contest
  16. staff — employees
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. fall — the season
  19. pit — in a race
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. saw — the tool
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. saw — the tool

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