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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. object — to protest
  4. season — of the year
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. tear — to rip
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. snap — to click
  9. object — an aim
  10. rule — a law
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. object — a thing
  13. tear — from crying
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. pound — a weight
  16. season — in sport
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. rule — government
  19. tear — from crying
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. tube — a container
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. tube — the underground

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