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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. tear — from crying
  3. firm — steady
  4. firm — a company
  5. charge — electricity
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. tear — to rip
  8. clip — to cut
  9. squash — to crush
  10. charge — a price
  11. firm — decided
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. tube — the underground
  14. tube — a container
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. clip — a video
  18. tear — from crying
  19. squash — the sport
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. clip — for paper
  23. charge — in control
  24. tube — in a tire

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