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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. cell — a phone
  5. tear — to rip
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. pitch — completely
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. pit — a hole
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. pop — to visit
  13. wind — moving air
  14. cell — in biology
  15. pop — soda
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. pop — music
  18. chip — for betting
  19. pit — in a race
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. chip — to eat
  22. wind — moving air
  23. tear — from crying
  24. wind — to turn a key

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