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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. roll — a list
  3. rush — hurry
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. kid — child
  6. kid — to tease
  7. tear — from crying
  8. roll — a cake
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. tear — to rip
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. object — an aim
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. firm — steady
  15. kick — in football
  16. object — to protest
  17. stand — to bear
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. object — a thing
  21. firm — a company
  22. tear — from crying
  23. firm — decided
  24. rush — to hurry

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