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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. charge — a price
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. charge — electricity
  6. mug — a cup
  7. wound — an injury
  8. content — happy
  9. charge — in control
  10. tear — to rip
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wake — a trail
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — from crying
  15. mug — a face
  16. lean — thin
  17. lean — to bend
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. content — the amount
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — the tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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