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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. chest — a box
  3. tear — to rip
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. march — the month
  8. tear — from crying
  9. charge — electricity
  10. charge — in control
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. march — music
  14. march — the month
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. tear — from crying
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. charge — a price
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. chest — of your body
  22. plane — a tool
  23. chest — of your body
  24. hide — to keep secret

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