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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. cue — a hint
  4. present — there
  5. sharp — clever
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. tube — a container
  8. cue — for pool
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. pound — a weight
  11. cue — a signal
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. tube — the underground
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. present — the time now
  16. wake — a trail
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. tear — from crying
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. tear — from crying
  22. present — a gift
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. pound — to hit hard

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