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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. staff — employees
  4. staff — employees
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. tear — from crying
  7. mug — a face
  8. shower — rain
  9. tear — from crying
  10. game — a match
  11. shower — to wash
  12. chest — a box
  13. tear — to rip
  14. chest — of your body
  15. track — a song
  16. chest — of your body
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. game — wild animals
  19. staff — a stick
  20. mug — to rob
  21. track — a path
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. mug — a cup

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