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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. chest — of your body
  3. tear — from crying
  4. can — to be able to
  5. chest — a box
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. face — to confront
  8. rash — a series
  9. face — part of the head
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. chest — of your body
  12. content — the amount
  13. can — a tin
  14. rash — hasty
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. can — a tin
  20. face — to point toward
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. tear — to rip
  23. content — happy
  24. pound — a weight

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