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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. ground — the earth
  3. key — in music
  4. key — for a lock
  5. court — for sport
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. wake — a trail
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. ground — a position
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. ground — crushed
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. tear — from crying
  17. key — the most important part
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. tear — from crying
  20. court — of law
  21. court — of a king
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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