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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. current — electric
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. tear — from crying
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. charge — in control
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. staff — employees
  13. charge — a price
  14. staff — employees
  15. charge — electricity
  16. date — the fruit
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. tear — to rip
  19. current — of water
  20. staff — a stick
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. tear — from crying
  24. current — happening now

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