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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bass — low music
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. fine — all right
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. object — a thing
  11. saw — the tool
  12. bass — the fish
  13. charge — a price
  14. object — to protest
  15. charge — in control
  16. fine — high quality
  17. cold — not warm
  18. saw — the tool
  19. tear — to rip
  20. tear — from crying
  21. cold — an illness
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. pound — a weight
  24. object — an aim

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