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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 120 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 put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. tear — from crying
  3. spring — of water
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. tear — from crying
  8. deal — to handle
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. charge — a price
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. tear — to rip
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. spring — a coil
  17. charge — in control
  18. spring — the season
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. charge — electricity
  22. chair — a leader
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. mouse — the animal

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