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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. tear — from crying
  3. kid — child
  4. spell — letters
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. track — to keep track
  8. squash — to crush
  9. spell — magic
  10. kid — to tease
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. spell — a short time
  13. tear — to rip
  14. track — a path
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. squash — the sport
  18. chip — to eat
  19. tear — from crying
  20. chip — for betting
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. track — a song

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