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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. pound — a weight
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. bear — the animal
  11. kick — in football
  12. game — wild animals
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. bat — the animal
  17. game — a match
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. tear — to rip
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. tear — from crying
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. tear — from crying

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