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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. tear — to rip
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. tear — from crying
  12. bat — the animal
  13. track — to keep track
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. track — a song
  16. track — a path
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. pound — a weight
  21. tear — from crying
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. pound — to hit hard

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