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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 116 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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. pass — a permit
  4. tear — from crying
  5. bound — obliged
  6. tear — from crying
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. bound — certain
  9. charge — a price
  10. kid — to tease
  11. spell — letters
  12. tear — to rip
  13. kid — child
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. charge — in control
  16. spell — a short time
  17. fine — high quality
  18. bound — tied together
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fine — all right
  21. charge — electricity
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. pass — to spend time

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