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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 120 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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  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. nail — for a hammer
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. tear — to rip
  4. kick — in football
  5. snap — to click
  6. rest — what's left
  7. row — to paddle
  8. tear — from crying
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. last — to go on
  11. rest — a break
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. rest — what's left
  14. last — finally
  15. tear — from crying
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. ground — a position
  20. last — final
  21. ground — the earth
  22. ground — crushed
  23. row — a line
  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