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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. ground — a position
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bat — the animal
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. tear — from crying
  11. ground — the earth
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. cue — a hint
  16. cue — a signal
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. cue — for pool
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. ground — crushed
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. bat — for baseball

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