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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. row — to paddle
  4. tear — from crying
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. net — in sport
  8. net — for catching
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. track — to keep track
  11. row — a line
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. tear — to rip
  14. track — a song
  15. track — a path
  16. fork — in a road
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. snap — to click
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. net — after costs
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. saw — the tool
  23. tear — from crying
  24. saw — the tool

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