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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 cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. chip — for betting
  5. tear — from crying
  6. snap — to click
  7. race — humankind
  8. race — a contest
  9. pitch — completely
  10. present — a gift
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. present — the time now
  13. race — the arms race
  14. tear — to rip
  15. capital — a city
  16. capital — money
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. present — there
  20. chip — to eat
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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