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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. cell — in biology
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. wind — moving air
  5. tear — from crying
  6. scale — in music
  7. object — a thing
  8. cell — a phone
  9. tear — to rip
  10. object — an aim
  11. scale — size or range
  12. sharp — clever
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. charge — in control
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. charge — a price
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. wind — moving air
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. tear — from crying
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. charge — electricity
  23. object — to protest
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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