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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. charge — electricity
  3. current — happening now
  4. snap — to click
  5. present — a gift
  6. drill — the tool
  7. current — electric
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. charge — in control
  10. drill — army training
  11. track — a path
  12. track — to keep track
  13. court — of law
  14. present — there
  15. court — of a king
  16. court — for sport
  17. tear — from crying
  18. track — a song
  19. charge — a price
  20. current — of water
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. drill — a practice
  23. tear — to rip
  24. present — the time now

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