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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. tube — a container
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. tear — to rip
  6. rock — music
  7. tear — from crying
  8. charge — in control
  9. tear — from crying
  10. firm — steady
  11. chest — of your body
  12. roll — a list
  13. firm — a company
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. firm — decided
  16. roll — a cake
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. chest — a box
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. charge — electricity
  21. tube — the underground
  22. chest — of your body
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. rock — a 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