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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 cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. pound — a weight
  3. kick — in football
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. snap — to click
  6. charge — a price
  7. saw — the tool
  8. object — to protest
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — to rip
  11. charge — electricity
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. face — part of the head
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. face — to point toward
  16. charge — in control
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. face — to confront
  19. saw — the tool
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. object — a thing
  24. object — an aim

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