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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. pitch — completely
  8. shower — rain
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. squash — the sport
  12. vault — a safe
  13. fork — in a road
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. squash — to crush
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. shower — to wash
  18. tear — to rip
  19. tear — from crying
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. snap — to click
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. pitch — a sports field

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