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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. bark — to shout
  3. tear — from crying
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. tear — from crying
  6. charge — in control
  7. tear — to rip
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. game — wild animals
  15. sharp — clever
  16. charge — a price
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. game — a match
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. vault — a safe

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