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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. tear — from crying
  3. pit — a hole
  4. hand — in cards
  5. face — to confront
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. charge — in control
  8. face — to point toward
  9. row — a line
  10. tear — to rip
  11. file — a document
  12. pit — in a race
  13. charge — electricity
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. tear — from crying
  16. file — a line of people
  17. file — a tool
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. charge — a price
  20. row — to paddle
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. hand — help
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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