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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. pop — music
  3. charge — a price
  4. track — a path
  5. kid — child
  6. content — happy
  7. pop — to visit
  8. charge — electricity
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. mug — a face
  11. kid — to tease
  12. pop — soda
  13. sharp — clever
  14. track — a song
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. mug — a cup
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. charge — in control
  19. content — the amount
  20. tear — from crying
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. track — to keep track
  23. mug — to rob
  24. tear — from crying

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