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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. tear — from crying
  3. rest — a break
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. tear — to rip
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. tear — from crying
  8. drill — a practice
  9. drill — the tool
  10. mug — a face
  11. squash — to crush
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. rest — what's left
  14. cell — in biology
  15. squash — the sport
  16. mug — a cup
  17. drill — army training
  18. cell — a phone
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. charge — in control
  22. charge — a price
  23. rest — what's left
  24. charge — electricity

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