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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. spell — a short time
  3. track — to keep track
  4. tear — from crying
  5. track — a path
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. mug — a cup
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. bear — the animal
  11. spell — letters
  12. row — to paddle
  13. kid — child
  14. spell — magic
  15. mug — a face
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. track — a song
  19. bear — the animal
  20. row — a line
  21. tear — from crying
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. mug — to rob
  24. tear — to rip

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