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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — what's left
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. pop — music
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. tear — from crying
  10. bear — the animal
  11. cue — for pool
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. pop — to visit
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. cue — a signal
  16. rest — a break
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. tear — from crying
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. bear — the animal
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. cue — a hint
  24. pop — soda

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