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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. can — a tin
  3. wind — moving air
  4. can — a tin
  5. cue — a signal
  6. tear — from crying
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. tear — to rip
  13. rush — hurry
  14. cue — for pool
  15. can — to be able to
  16. tear — from crying
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. cue — a hint
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. mine — for digging
  24. wind — moving air

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