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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. band — a music group
  3. toast — bread
  4. mine — for digging
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. bore — to drill
  8. bore — to tire
  9. band — a ring
  10. charge — electricity
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. net — after costs
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. net — in sport
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. deal — to handle
  18. tear — from crying
  19. net — for catching
  20. tear — from crying
  21. charge — in control
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. charge — a price

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