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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.

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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 King held a masked ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. ball — a dance
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. rash — hasty
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — from crying
  12. craft — a skill
  13. capital — money
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. rash — a series
  16. cell — a phone
  17. craft — boats
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. capital — a city
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. ball — a great time
  22. cell — in biology
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. snap — to click

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