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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. tear — from crying
  3. snap — to click
  4. chip — for betting
  5. suit — clothes
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. suit — to fit
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. press — a publisher
  13. kid — child
  14. press — to push
  15. tear — from crying
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. press — newspapers
  18. kid — to tease
  19. suit — in cards
  20. chip — to eat
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. date — the fruit

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