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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. mark — a trace
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — from crying
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. cell — a phone
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. saw — the tool
  11. mark — a grade
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. tear — to rip
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. tube — a container
  16. present — the time now
  17. cell — in biology
  18. saw — the tool
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. snap — to click
  21. tube — the underground
  22. present — there
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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