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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. snap — to click
  3. ground — the earth
  4. band — a music group
  5. can — to be able to
  6. date — the fruit
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. mark — a trace
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. ground — crushed
  11. tear — from crying
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. pitch — completely
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. ground — a position
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. mark — a grade
  18. band — a ring
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. tear — from crying
  23. can — a tin
  24. tear — to rip

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