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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. tear — from crying
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. hand — help
  6. charge — a price
  7. rest — a break
  8. object — a thing
  9. saw — the tool
  10. tear — from crying
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. charge — in control
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. saw — the tool
  15. spell — magic
  16. spell — a short time
  17. rest — what's left
  18. object — to protest
  19. object — an aim
  20. charge — electricity
  21. rest — what's left
  22. hand — in cards
  23. spell — letters
  24. tear — to rip

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