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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's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. tear — to rip
  3. bass — low music
  4. object — to protest
  5. tear — from crying
  6. chest — a box
  7. roll — a list
  8. object — an aim
  9. suit — to fit
  10. chest — of your body
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. object — a thing
  13. net — after costs
  14. net — in sport
  15. net — for catching
  16. suit — clothes
  17. chest — of your body
  18. bass — the fish
  19. roll — a cake
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. suit — in cards
  24. tear — from crying

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