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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 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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. bass — low music
  4. snap — to click
  5. cold — an illness
  6. bass — the fish
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. suit — in cards
  9. tear — to rip
  10. wake — a trail
  11. suit — to fit
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. suit — clothes
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. cold — not warm
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  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