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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. can — a tin
  4. can — to be able to
  5. row — a line
  6. board — a committee
  7. charge — a price
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. tear — to rip
  11. board — to get on
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. charge — in control
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. can — a tin
  16. march — the month
  17. charge — electricity
  18. tear — from crying
  19. march — the month
  20. march — music
  21. sharp — clever
  22. row — to paddle
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. row — a quarrel

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