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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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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. march — music
  3. file — a line of people
  4. charge — a price
  5. file — a document
  6. stand — to bear
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. charge — in control
  9. tear — from crying
  10. row — a line
  11. march — the month
  12. march — the month
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. row — to paddle
  15. mug — a face
  16. charge — electricity
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. mug — to rob
  20. tear — from crying
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. mug — a cup
  23. file — a tool
  24. tear — to rip

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