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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 don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. bear — the animal
  6. ball — a dance
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. chest — of your body
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. toast — bread
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. bear — the animal
  13. tear — to rip
  14. tear — from crying
  15. lean — thin
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. lean — to bend
  20. ball — a great time
  21. tear — from crying
  22. chest — a box
  23. lie — to recline
  24. chest — of your body

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