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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. cue — for pool
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. spell — a short time
  7. tear — from crying
  8. roll — a list
  9. cue — a signal
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. cue — a hint
  12. tube — a container
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tear — to rip
  17. object — an aim
  18. tube — the underground
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. roll — a cake
  21. spell — letters
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. spell — magic
  24. object — a thing

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