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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. tear — from crying
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. tear — from crying
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. bear — the animal
  10. charge — electricity
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. staff — employees
  14. charge — a price
  15. deal — to handle
  16. kid — to tease
  17. tear — to rip
  18. staff — a stick
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. kick — in football
  22. kid — child
  23. bear — the animal
  24. charge — in control

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