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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. net — in sport
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. snap — to click
  7. clip — to cut
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. deal — to handle
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. net — after costs
  12. tube — the underground
  13. clip — a video
  14. tube — a container
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. tear — from crying
  18. rock — a stone
  19. tear — to rip
  20. clip — for paper
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. rock — music
  24. net — for catching

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