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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. staff — employees
  3. clip — to cut
  4. pitch — completely
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. staff — a stick
  7. can — a tin
  8. staff — employees
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. can — a tin
  14. tear — from crying
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. tear — from crying
  17. fall — to drop
  18. rash — a series
  19. can — to be able to
  20. clip — for paper
  21. rash — hasty
  22. fall — to drop
  23. clip — a video
  24. tear — to rip

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