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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. tear — to rip
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. ball — a great time
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. tear — from crying
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. squash — to crush
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. mine — for digging
  17. ball — a dance
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. tear — from crying
  22. squash — the sport
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. pitcher — a jug

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