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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 120 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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. staff — a stick
  4. foot — a measure
  5. staff — employees
  6. charge — a price
  7. pound — a weight
  8. tear — from crying
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. charge — electricity
  11. row — to paddle
  12. charge — in control
  13. pit — in a race
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. tear — to rip
  16. clip — to cut
  17. row — a line
  18. clip — a video
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. pit — a hole
  21. clip — for paper
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. staff — employees
  24. pound — for dogs

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