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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. tear — from crying
  4. can — a tin
  5. present — a gift
  6. clip — for paper
  7. club — for dancing
  8. clip — to cut
  9. clip — a video
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. chest — of your body
  12. tear — from crying
  13. club — for golf
  14. present — the time now
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chip — to eat
  17. present — there
  18. can — to be able to
  19. club — a group
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. can — a tin
  22. chip — for betting
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. chest — a box

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