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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: date · saw · snap · firm · lie · tear · club · cold

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. saw — the tool
  3. firm — decided
  4. firm — a company
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. tear — from crying
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. club — for golf
  12. firm — steady
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. cold — not warm
  15. lie — to recline
  16. tear — to rip
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. tear — from crying
  19. date — the fruit
  20. cold — an illness
  21. saw — the tool
  22. club — a group
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. snap — to click

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