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

Word bank: club · hide · tear · bear · pit · pass · present · file

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. file — a document
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. bear — the animal
  7. file — a tool
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. club — a group
  12. present — a gift
  13. pass — a permit
  14. club — for golf
  15. bear — the animal
  16. club — for dancing
  17. present — there
  18. tear — from crying
  19. present — the time now
  20. pit — in a race
  21. pit — a hole
  22. tear — to rip
  23. file — a line of people
  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