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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. tear — to rip
  3. tear — from crying
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. cold — an illness
  7. tear — from crying
  8. cold — not warm
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. content — the amount
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. content — happy
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. kick — in football
  20. bark — to shout
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. safe — out of danger

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