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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 got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. tear — to rip
  3. tear — from crying
  4. snap — to click
  5. land — ground
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. season — in sport
  9. tube — the underground
  10. season — of the year
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. land — to come down
  14. vault — a safe
  15. hand — help
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. land — a country
  20. tear — from crying
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. pitch — completely
  23. tube — a container
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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