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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. tear — to rip
  3. track — a path
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. present — a gift
  6. track — a song
  7. chip — for betting
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. tear — from crying
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. tear — from crying
  17. present — the time now
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. wind — moving air
  20. track — to keep track
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. mark — a trace
  23. chip — to eat
  24. mark — a grade

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