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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 116 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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. mug — to rob
  3. tear — from crying
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. ball — a great time
  6. ball — a dance
  7. tear — from crying
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. tear — to rip
  10. kick — in football
  11. clip — a video
  12. clip — for paper
  13. mug — a face
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. charge — in control
  16. clip — to cut
  17. spell — a short time
  18. charge — a price
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. spell — letters
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. spell — magic
  24. charge — electricity

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