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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  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. can — a tin
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. pass — a permit
  4. tear — to rip
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. can — a tin
  10. file — a line of people
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. file — a tool
  15. snap — to click
  16. can — to be able to
  17. squash — the sport
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — moving air
  20. tear — from crying
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. squash — to crush
  23. file — a document
  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