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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. tear — to rip
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. hand — help
  6. tear — from crying
  7. charge — electricity
  8. hand — in cards
  9. fine — high quality
  10. firm — a company
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. fine — all right
  13. wind — moving air
  14. firm — decided
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. cap — of ice
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. charge — a price
  19. cap — a lid
  20. tear — from crying
  21. wind — moving air
  22. cap — a hat
  23. charge — in control
  24. firm — steady

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