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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 120 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: sharp · chest · safe · content · tear · straw · track · lie

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. tear — to rip
  4. lie — to recline
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. track — to keep track
  7. chest — a box
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. content — the amount
  11. chest — of your body
  12. track — a path
  13. chest — of your body
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. sharp — clever
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. track — a song
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. content — happy
  24. tear — from crying

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