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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. cue — a signal
  4. spell — magic
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. tear — to rip
  7. spell — letters
  8. tube — the underground
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. charge — in control
  11. bass — low music
  12. wake — a trail
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. cue — for pool
  15. cue — a hint
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. charge — electricity
  18. snap — to click
  19. tube — a container
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bass — the fish
  22. spell — a short time
  23. charge — a price
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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