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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. clip — to cut
  3. tear — to rip
  4. bulb — for light
  5. charge — in control
  6. tear — from crying
  7. drill — the tool
  8. drill — army training
  9. rush — hurry
  10. mug — a face
  11. clip — a video
  12. charge — electricity
  13. mate — to breed
  14. charge — a price
  15. mate — a friend
  16. mug — to rob
  17. tear — from crying
  18. drill — a practice
  19. clip — for paper
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. mate — a partner
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. mug — a cup

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