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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. charge — a price
  4. tear — from crying
  5. shower — to wash
  6. tear — from crying
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. mine — for digging
  10. ball — a dance
  11. charge — in control
  12. ball — a great time
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. shower — rain
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. charge — electricity

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