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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. charge — a price
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. board — to get on
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. vault — a safe
  7. charge — electricity
  8. fall — the season
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. fall — to drop
  11. charge — in control
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. content — happy
  14. board — a committee
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. tear — from crying
  17. fall — to drop
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. squash — to crush
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. tear — to rip
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. squash — the sport
  24. content — the amount

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