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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: last · tear · pitcher · clip · straw · pass · fall · present

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. present — the time now
  4. present — there
  5. tear — from crying
  6. fall — to drop
  7. last — final
  8. last — to go on
  9. tear — to rip
  10. fall — the season
  11. tear — from crying
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. clip — a video
  16. pass — a permit
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. last — finally
  20. fall — to drop
  21. clip — for paper
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. clip — to cut
  24. present — a gift

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