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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. ground — crushed
  3. sharp — clever
  4. tear — from crying
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. pop — soda
  7. pop — music
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. tear — from crying
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. ground — a position
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. ground — the earth
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. tear — to rip
  23. snap — to click
  24. coach — a trainer

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