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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. charge — a price
  3. tear — from crying
  4. charge — in control
  5. net — in sport
  6. craft — boats
  7. craft — a skill
  8. net — after costs
  9. kick — in football
  10. tear — to rip
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. charge — electricity
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. stem — to come from
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. saw — the tool
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. net — for catching
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. tear — from crying
  23. chair — a leader
  24. stem — a stem cell

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