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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. charge — in control
  3. pit — in a race
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. staff — a stick
  8. sharp — clever
  9. charge — a price
  10. staff — employees
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. staff — employees
  13. tear — from crying
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. bark — to shout
  17. tear — from crying
  18. club — for dancing
  19. charge — electricity
  20. club — a group
  21. pit — a hole
  22. tear — to rip
  23. fall — the season
  24. club — for golf

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