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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. can — a tin
  3. can — a tin
  4. bore — to drill
  5. tear — from crying
  6. pop — to visit
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. current — of water
  9. march — the month
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. current — electric
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. can — to be able to
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. march — music
  16. current — happening now
  17. pop — soda
  18. march — the month
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. pop — music
  22. tear — to rip
  23. bore — to tire
  24. snap — to click

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