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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. dip — to sink
  3. chip — to eat
  4. charge — in control
  5. tear — from crying
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. vault — a safe
  9. charge — a price
  10. staff — employees
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. chip — for betting
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. staff — a stick
  15. rash — a series
  16. staff — employees
  17. kick — in football
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. rash — hasty
  21. charge — electricity
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. tear — to rip
  24. kick — a thrill

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