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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. suit — in cards
  3. net — after costs
  4. tear — from crying
  5. wound — an injury
  6. net — for catching
  7. ground — the earth
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. cell — in biology
  10. ground — crushed
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. suit — to fit
  13. ground — a position
  14. wound — an injury
  15. cell — a phone
  16. current — of water
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. bulb — for light
  19. suit — clothes
  20. current — happening now
  21. net — in sport
  22. tear — from crying
  23. current — electric
  24. bulb — for light

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