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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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. season — in sport
  4. land — to come down
  5. mark — a trace
  6. land — ground
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. charge — electricity
  9. ground — the earth
  10. ground — a position
  11. saw — the tool
  12. mark — a grade
  13. charge — in control
  14. tear — from crying
  15. row — to paddle
  16. land — a country
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. season — of the year
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. ground — crushed
  21. row — a line
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. saw — the tool
  24. tear — to rip

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