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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 120 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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. tear — from crying
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. land — to come down
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. lie — to recline
  11. land — ground
  12. charge — in control
  13. charge — a price
  14. land — a country
  15. rush — hurry
  16. charge — electricity
  17. tear — from crying
  18. cell — a phone
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. tear — to rip
  22. cell — in biology
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. bear — the animal

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