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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. last — finally
  3. tear — from crying
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. charge — a price
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. charge — electricity
  8. bore — to drill
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. net — for catching
  11. net — after costs
  12. bore — to tire
  13. capital — money
  14. deal — to handle
  15. tear — from crying
  16. charge — in control
  17. march — music
  18. last — to go on
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. last — final
  21. march — the month
  22. capital — a city
  23. march — the month
  24. net — in sport

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