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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. cell — a phone
  3. kick — in football
  4. deal — to handle
  5. pound — a weight
  6. content — the amount
  7. tear — from crying
  8. cue — a hint
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. key — the most important part
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. cue — a signal
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. tear — from crying
  16. cue — for pool
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. cell — in biology
  20. content — happy
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. key — in music
  23. key — for a lock
  24. content — videos and posts

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