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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. clip — to cut
  5. clip — for paper
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. hand — in cards
  8. drill — the tool
  9. hand — help
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. clip — a video
  12. drill — a practice
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. tear — from crying
  16. pitch — completely
  17. tear — from crying
  18. drill — army training
  19. charge — electricity
  20. tear — to rip
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. rush — hurry
  23. charge — a price
  24. pitch — a sports field

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