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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. tear — to rip
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. chest — of your body
  9. bore — to drill
  10. land — a country
  11. chest — of your body
  12. land — ground
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. land — to come down
  15. toast — bread
  16. bore — to tire
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. track — to keep track
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. chest — a box
  21. tear — from crying
  22. track — a path
  23. tear — from crying
  24. track — a song

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