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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. file — a tool
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. game — wild animals
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. tear — from crying
  10. plane — a tool
  11. content — happy
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. firm — a company
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. firm — decided
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. game — a match
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. tear — from crying
  20. file — a line of people
  21. file — a document
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. content — the amount
  24. firm — steady

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