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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. tear — from crying
  3. charge — a price
  4. drill — the tool
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. chest — a box
  7. drill — a practice
  8. swing — to play on
  9. charge — in control
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. chest — of your body
  12. kid — to tease
  13. charge — electricity
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. tear — to rip
  17. chest — of your body
  18. swing — music
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. swing — in golf
  23. tear — from crying
  24. drill — army training

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