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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 120 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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. snap — to click
  3. suit — in cards
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. stand — to bear
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. tear — from crying
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. can — a tin
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. pitch — completely
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. can — a tin
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. can — to be able to
  19. tear — from crying
  20. suit — clothes
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. suit — to fit

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