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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. sharp — clever
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. spell — magic
  9. tube — a container
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. tear — from crying
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. spell — letters
  14. mug — to rob
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. spell — a short time
  17. tear — from crying
  18. mug — a face
  19. fork — in a road
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. mug — a cup
  23. tube — the underground
  24. bay — a horse colour

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