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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. net — for catching
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. charge — in control
  5. net — in sport
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. net — after costs
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. cue — for pool
  11. charge — a price
  12. tear — from crying
  13. charge — electricity
  14. board — to get on
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. tear — from crying
  17. cue — a signal
  18. cue — a hint
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. field — for sport
  21. chair — a leader
  22. field — farmland
  23. board — a committee
  24. field — a subject

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