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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. rest — a break
  4. tube — the underground
  5. pound — a weight
  6. club — for dancing
  7. club — for golf
  8. kid — child
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. kid — to tease
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. tube — a container
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. rest — what's left
  16. dip — to sink
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. tear — from crying
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. tear — to rip
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. club — a group
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. rest — what's left

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