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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — from crying
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. tube — the underground
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. club — a group
  7. scale — in music
  8. file — a tool
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. plane — a tool
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. club — for golf
  13. scale — size or range
  14. pitch — completely
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. tube — a container
  18. club — for dancing
  19. key — for a lock
  20. file — a document
  21. tear — to rip
  22. file — a line of people
  23. key — in music
  24. key — the most important part

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