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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 120 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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. deal — to handle
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tear — to rip
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. file — a document
  10. fall — to drop
  11. file — a tool
  12. board — to get on
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. bass — low music
  15. fall — the season
  16. bear — the animal
  17. board — a committee
  18. bear — the animal
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. bass — the fish
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. file — a line of people
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. tear — from crying

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