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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. tear — to rip
  3. spring — of water
  4. charge — a price
  5. mug — to rob
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. last — final
  8. spring — the season
  9. last — to go on
  10. mug — a face
  11. charge — in control
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. bass — low music
  14. present — there
  15. present — the time now
  16. present — a gift
  17. last — finally
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. spring — a coil
  20. mug — a cup
  21. tear — from crying
  22. charge — electricity
  23. tear — from crying
  24. bass — the fish

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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