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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. file — a tool
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. tear — from crying
  5. stock — goods
  6. tear — to rip
  7. stock — shares
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tube — a container
  11. swing — to play on
  12. snap — to click
  13. swing — music
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. file — a line of people
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. present — the time now
  18. file — a document
  19. swing — in golf
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. tube — the underground
  24. present — there

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