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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. dip — to sink
  3. tear — to rip
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. content — the amount
  6. mate — a partner
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. mate — to breed
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. chest — of your body
  12. rush — hurry
  13. mate — a friend
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. content — happy
  16. chest — of your body
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. tear — from crying
  20. chest — a box
  21. mark — a grade
  22. mark — a trace
  23. temple — a place of worship
  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