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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. board — to get on
  4. charge — in control
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. wound — an injury
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. sharp — clever
  9. wound — an injury
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tube — the underground
  13. object — an aim
  14. last — final
  15. charge — a price
  16. charge — electricity
  17. last — finally
  18. tube — a container
  19. object — a thing
  20. object — to protest
  21. tear — to rip
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. board — a committee
  24. last — to go on

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