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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. content — the amount
  5. face — to point toward
  6. tear — from crying
  7. march — the month
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. tear — from crying
  10. kick — in football
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. tear — to rip
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. march — the month
  15. charge — in control
  16. charge — a price
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. face — to confront
  20. march — music
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. charge — electricity
  23. content — happy
  24. face — part of the head

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