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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. object — to protest
  3. season — in sport
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. wound — an injury
  8. snap — to click
  9. tear — from crying
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. file — a document
  12. tear — from crying
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. object — an aim
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. object — a thing
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. wound — an injury
  20. season — of the year
  21. file — a line of people
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. file — a tool
  24. bay — a horse colour

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