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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. tear — to rip
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. pop — to visit
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. cold — not warm
  7. wake — a trail
  8. ball — a dance
  9. pit — in a race
  10. firm — decided
  11. firm — a company
  12. ball — a great time
  13. cold — an illness
  14. pop — soda
  15. charge — in control
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. tear — from crying
  19. firm — steady
  20. charge — electricity
  21. pop — music
  22. tear — from crying
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. pit — a hole

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