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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. scale — in music
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. tear — from crying
  7. charge — electricity
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. tear — from crying
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. tear — to rip
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. bound — tied together
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chest — a box
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. charge — a price
  19. bound — certain
  20. scale — size or range
  21. bound — obliged
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. chest — of your body
  24. charge — in control

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