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

Word bank: sharp · stand · mine · content · kick · bay · snap · tear

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. sharp — clever
  10. tear — from crying
  11. snap — to click
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. stand — to bear
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. kick — in football
  19. mine — for digging
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. content — the amount
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. content — happy

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