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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. snap — to click
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. mine — for digging
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. tear — from crying
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. tear — from crying
  11. deal — to handle
  12. kid — child
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. kid — to tease
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. tear — to rip
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. mouse — the animal

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