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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. sharp — clever
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — from crying
  9. fall — the season
  10. root — the cause
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. dip — to sink
  14. tear — to rip
  15. root — of a plant
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fall — to drop
  19. can — a tin
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. can — to be able to
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. root — of a word
  24. can — a tin

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