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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 116 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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — from crying
  4. snap — to click
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. tear — to rip
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. wake — a trail
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. mouse — for a computer

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