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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. charge — in control
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. cell — a phone
  5. charge — a price
  6. tear — to rip
  7. bore — to drill
  8. tear — from crying
  9. ball — a dance
  10. bore — to tire
  11. ball — a great time
  12. kick — in football
  13. tear — from crying
  14. charge — electricity
  15. file — a tool
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. cell — in biology
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. file — a document

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