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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. wound — an injury
  3. tear — from crying
  4. track — to keep track
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. tear — to rip
  7. charge — in control
  8. pound — a weight
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. tear — from crying
  12. kick — in football
  13. charge — a price
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. charge — electricity
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. wound — an injury
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. wake — a trail
  23. track — a path
  24. track — a song

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