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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  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. rock — a stone
  2. tear — from crying
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. rock — music
  7. snap — to click
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. content — the amount
  10. content — happy
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. tear — to rip
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. chip — to eat
  18. tear — from crying
  19. chip — for betting
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — to trim
  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