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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 116 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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. tear — from crying
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. tear — from crying
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. wind — moving air
  8. content — happy
  9. wind — moving air
  10. club — a group
  11. mark — a trace
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. club — for dancing
  14. track — a song
  15. track — a path
  16. rest — what's left
  17. content — the amount
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. tear — to rip
  20. rest — a break
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. mark — a grade
  23. club — for golf
  24. track — to keep track

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