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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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. chest — of your body
  3. mine — for digging
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. tear — from crying
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. tear — from crying
  8. chest — of your body
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. track — to keep track
  11. track — a song
  12. deal — to handle
  13. toast — bread
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. rock — music
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. pass — a permit
  19. tear — to rip
  20. rock — a stone
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. chest — a box
  24. track — a path

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