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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. tear — from crying
  3. season — of the year
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. tear — from crying
  8. last — to go on
  9. march — the month
  10. season — in sport
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. tear — to rip
  13. last — final
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. last — finally
  16. charge — in control
  17. march — music
  18. charge — a price
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. march — the month
  23. bat — the animal
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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