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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. track — a song
  3. deal — to handle
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. tear — from crying
  6. stock — shares
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. stock — goods
  10. hand — help
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. chest — of your body
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — to rip
  18. track — to keep track
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. track — a path
  21. chest — of your body
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. hand — in cards
  24. hide — to keep secret

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