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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 120 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 don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — to rip
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. charge — in control
  6. land — to come down
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. bark — to shout
  9. can — a tin
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. land — a country
  12. march — the month
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. charge — electricity
  15. land — ground
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. can — to be able to
  18. charge — a price
  19. march — music
  20. can — a tin
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. tear — from crying
  23. march — the month
  24. mouse — the animal

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