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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. tear — to rip
  3. rush — hurry
  4. pop — music
  5. craft — a skill
  6. key — the most important part
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. tear — from crying
  10. fall — the season
  11. pop — to visit
  12. fall — to drop
  13. band — a ring
  14. key — in music
  15. pop — soda
  16. craft — boats
  17. tear — from crying
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. key — for a lock
  20. fall — to drop
  21. band — a music group
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. craft — a handicraft

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