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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 120 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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. pit — a hole
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cold — not warm
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. cold — an illness
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. club — for golf
  16. club — a group
  17. club — for dancing
  18. tear — from crying
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pit — in a race
  22. snap — to click
  23. tear — from crying
  24. pound — a weight

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