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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. mug — a face
  3. charge — in control
  4. clip — to cut
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. fork — in a road
  7. mug — to rob
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. face — to confront
  10. charge — electricity
  11. face — to point toward
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. rush — hurry
  14. stand — to bear
  15. tear — to rip
  16. tear — from crying
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. face — part of the head
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. mug — a cup
  21. clip — for paper
  22. clip — a video
  23. tear — from crying
  24. charge — a price

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