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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. band — a music group
  3. tube — a container
  4. face — to point toward
  5. band — a ring
  6. tear — to rip
  7. face — to confront
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. roll — a cake
  10. tear — from crying
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. roll — a list
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. kick — in football
  18. tube — the underground
  19. sharp — clever
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. face — part of the head
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. kick — a thrill

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