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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. squash — to crush
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. tear — from crying
  5. squash — the sport
  6. clip — for paper
  7. plane — a tool
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. tear — to rip
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. kid — child
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. charge — electricity
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. clip — to cut
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. kid — to tease
  21. charge — a price
  22. clip — a video
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. tear — from crying

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