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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. sharp — clever
  3. lean — thin
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. cue — a hint
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. band — a ring
  8. capital — a city
  9. tear — from crying
  10. last — to go on
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. cue — for pool
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. last — finally
  17. capital — money
  18. tear — from crying
  19. cue — a signal
  20. last — final
  21. lean — to bend
  22. band — a music group
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. capital — a big letter

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