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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. mug — to rob
  3. charge — in control
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. charge — a price
  6. mug — a face
  7. present — the time now
  8. charge — electricity
  9. lean — to bend
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. tear — to rip
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. tear — from crying
  15. present — a gift
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. tear — from crying
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. pit — in a race
  21. lean — thin
  22. mug — a cup
  23. present — there
  24. pit — a hole

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