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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. cap — a hat
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bark — to shout
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. tear — to rip
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. charge — in control
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. tear — from crying
  16. charge — electricity
  17. cap — of ice
  18. shower — rain
  19. charge — a price
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. shower — to wash
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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