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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. rash — hasty
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. fine — all right
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. can — a tin
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. can — a tin
  10. fine — high quality
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. tear — from crying
  16. stand — to bear
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. tear — from crying
  19. rash — a series
  20. can — to be able to
  21. snap — to click
  22. tear — to rip
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. cabinet — ministers

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