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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 120 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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — from crying
  3. rock — a stone
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. charge — electricity
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. rest — a break
  8. cap — of ice
  9. cap — a lid
  10. bat — the animal
  11. mug — a face
  12. charge — a price
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rest — what's left
  15. tear — to rip
  16. charge — in control
  17. mug — a cup
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. mug — to rob
  22. cap — a hat
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. rock — music

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