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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. roll — a list
  3. content — happy
  4. mate — to breed
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. tear — from crying
  7. mate — a partner
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. date — the fruit
  12. roll — a cake
  13. tear — from crying
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. content — the amount
  19. mate — a friend
  20. bore — to drill
  21. kick — in football
  22. bore — to tire
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. date — on the calendar

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