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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. charge — electricity
  3. tear — to rip
  4. game — a match
  5. charge — a price
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. wind — moving air
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tube — the underground
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. game — wild animals
  15. tube — a container
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. charge — in control
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. pound — a weight
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rest — a break
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. wind — to turn a key

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