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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. row — a line
  3. charge — in control
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. charge — a price
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. charge — electricity
  12. row — to paddle
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. net — for catching
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tear — from crying
  17. clip — a video
  18. net — in sport
  19. clip — for paper
  20. net — after costs
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. deal — to handle
  24. clip — to cut

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