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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. prune — to trim
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. charge — in control
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. tear — from crying
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. charge — electricity
  13. tear — to rip
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. fine — high quality
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bat — the animal
  21. prune — to trim
  22. charge — a price
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. fan — to cool the air

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