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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. tube — a container
  5. dip — to sink
  6. rest — what's left
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. scale — in music
  9. tear — from crying
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. tear — from crying
  12. rest — what's left
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. tube — the underground
  15. scale — size or range
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. squash — to crush
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. bat — the animal
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. squash — the sport
  24. rest — a break

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