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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. tear — to rip
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. wake — a trail
  5. charge — electricity
  6. field — farmland
  7. mug — a face
  8. charge — a price
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. field — a subject
  11. mug — to rob
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. mug — a cup
  14. tear — from crying
  15. field — for sport
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. charge — in control
  18. pit — in a race
  19. bass — low music
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. kick — in football
  23. pit — a hole
  24. tear — from crying

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