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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. snap — to click
  7. key — the most important part
  8. key — for a lock
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. tear — to rip
  11. tear — from crying
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bat — the animal
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. pit — in a race
  17. tear — from crying
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. rush — hurry
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. pit — a hole

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