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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. mug — a face
  3. tear — from crying
  4. drill — a practice
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. tear — to rip
  7. charge — electricity
  8. mug — to rob
  9. scale — size or range
  10. drill — the tool
  11. rest — what's left
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. charge — in control
  14. mug — a cup
  15. charge — a price
  16. rest — a break
  17. drill — army training
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. content — happy
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. rest — what's left
  22. content — the amount
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. scale — in music

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