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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. fall — the season
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. current — happening now
  7. tear — from crying
  8. sharp — clever
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. current — electric
  11. cue — for pool
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. cue — a signal
  14. pass — a permit
  15. current — of water
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. tear — from crying
  18. fall — to drop
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. fall — to drop
  22. cue — a hint
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. kick — in football

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