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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 120 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's one o'clock ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. tear — to rip
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. fine — high quality
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. race — the arms race
  7. cue — a hint
  8. cue — a signal
  9. tear — from crying
  10. fine — all right
  11. tear — from crying
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. bass — low music
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. race — humankind
  17. cue — for pool
  18. snap — to click
  19. sharp — clever
  20. race — a contest
  21. bass — the fish
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. shower — rain
  24. shower — to wash

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