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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. tear — from crying
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. tube — a container
  6. tear — to rip
  7. dip — to sink
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. tear — from crying
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. face — part of the head
  12. court — for sport
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. face — to confront
  16. kid — child
  17. court — of a king
  18. court — of law
  19. staff — employees
  20. staff — a stick
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. staff — employees
  23. face — to point toward
  24. tube — the underground

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