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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 people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. charge — electricity
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. tear — to rip
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. charge — in control
  9. row — to paddle
  10. tear — from crying
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. tear — from crying
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. sharp — clever
  17. row — a line
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. charge — a price
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. hide — animal skin

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