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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. swing — in golf
  4. tear — from crying
  5. drill — army training
  6. tear — to rip
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. lie — to recline
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. tear — from crying
  12. squash — to crush
  13. swing — music
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. squash — the sport
  16. fork — in a road
  17. sharp — clever
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. drill — a practice
  20. charge — in control
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. drill — the tool
  23. charge — electricity
  24. swing — to play on

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