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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — from crying
  4. rush — hurry
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. charge — a price
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. fall — to drop
  15. charge — electricity
  16. chair — a leader
  17. charge — in control
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. fork — in a road
  20. fall — to drop
  21. tear — to rip
  22. squash — to crush
  23. fall — the season
  24. chair — a professorship

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