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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. can — to be able to
  4. track — a path
  5. content — the amount
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — a tin
  8. tear — to rip
  9. content — happy
  10. fine — all right
  11. spell — a short time
  12. spell — magic
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. track — to keep track
  15. pitch — completely
  16. spell — letters
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. fine — high quality
  19. tear — from crying
  20. hand — in cards
  21. hand — help
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. track — a song
  24. fine — a penalty

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