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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. tear — to rip
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. tear — from crying
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. dip — to sink
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. mate — a friend
  9. lie — to recline
  10. clip — a video
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. clip — for paper
  13. mate — a partner
  14. clip — to cut
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. stand — to bear
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. land — a country
  21. land — to come down
  22. tear — from crying
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. land — ground

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