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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. march — music
  3. bound — tied together
  4. charge — in control
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. kid — child
  8. staff — employees
  9. tear — from crying
  10. staff — employees
  11. scale — in music
  12. march — the month
  13. tear — to rip
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. bound — certain
  16. staff — a stick
  17. charge — electricity
  18. kid — to tease
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — the fish
  21. tear — from crying
  22. scale — size or range
  23. march — the month
  24. bound — obliged

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