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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. tear — from crying
  4. key — for a lock
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. tube — a container
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. ground — crushed
  11. stand — to bear
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. key — in music
  14. tear — to rip
  15. ground — the earth
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. key — the most important part
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. snap — to click
  20. tube — the underground
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. ground — a position
  24. tear — from crying

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