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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. tear — from crying
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. swing — to play on
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bound — obliged
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — to rip
  12. swing — music
  13. can — a tin
  14. saw — the tool
  15. can — a tin
  16. ground — crushed
  17. can — to be able to
  18. snap — to click
  19. ground — the earth
  20. bound — certain
  21. swing — in golf
  22. bound — tied together
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. racket — for tennis

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