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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 cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. charge — a price
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. row — a line
  6. key — in music
  7. drill — army training
  8. row — to paddle
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. wake — a trail
  14. charge — electricity
  15. kick — in football
  16. drill — a practice
  17. key — the most important part
  18. tear — to rip
  19. key — for a lock
  20. tear — from crying
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. charge — in control
  23. drill — the tool
  24. kick — with a leg

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