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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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. tear — to rip
  3. tube — a container
  4. foot — a measure
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. game — wild animals
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — from crying
  16. pass — a permit
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. present — the time now
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. tube — the underground
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. present — there
  23. game — a match
  24. present — a gift

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