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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. tear — to rip
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. tear — from crying
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. pass — a permit
  19. bat — the animal
  20. capital — money
  21. pitch — completely
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. capital — a city

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