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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. tear — from crying
  3. ball — a great time
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. root — of a word
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. tear — from crying
  8. kid — child
  9. band — a music group
  10. track — to keep track
  11. root — of a plant
  12. root — the cause
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. track — a path
  16. band — a ring
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. ball — a dance
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. tear — to rip
  22. track — a song
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. kid — to tease

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