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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  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. pop — soda
  2. tear — from crying
  3. spell — magic
  4. tear — from crying
  5. ground — crushed
  6. charge — in control
  7. ground — a position
  8. spell — a short time
  9. rock — a stone
  10. pop — to visit
  11. track — a song
  12. rock — music
  13. field — for sport
  14. field — a subject
  15. spell — letters
  16. track — to keep track
  17. ground — the earth
  18. charge — electricity
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. pop — music
  21. track — a path
  22. field — farmland
  23. charge — a price
  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