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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. charge — a price
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. track — a path
  5. tear — from crying
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. saw — the tool
  8. charge — in control
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. charge — electricity
  13. track — a song
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. clip — a video
  17. pitch — completely
  18. clip — for paper
  19. track — to keep track
  20. tear — to rip
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. clip — to cut
  24. tear — from crying

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