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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. file — a document
  3. tear — to rip
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. net — after costs
  6. game — a match
  7. sharp — clever
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. file — a tool
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. file — a line of people
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. net — in sport
  16. tear — from crying
  17. game — wild animals
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. net — for catching
  20. snap — to click
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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