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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 116 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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. club — for dancing
  3. net — after costs
  4. mate — a partner
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. tear — from crying
  8. mate — a friend
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. net — in sport
  11. club — for golf
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. club — a group
  15. content — the amount
  16. tear — to rip
  17. kid — child
  18. content — happy
  19. net — for catching
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. kid — to tease
  23. dip — to sink
  24. mate — to breed

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