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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. tear — from crying
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. chest — a box
  6. wake — a trail
  7. fine — all right
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. fine — high quality
  11. chest — of your body
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. track — a path
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. kick — in football
  18. tear — from crying
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. track — to keep track
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. tear — to rip
  24. chest — of your body

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