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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. charge — in control
  3. charge — electricity
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — from crying
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. tear — to rip
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. track — to keep track
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. branch — a division
  14. track — a path
  15. game — a match
  16. dip — to sink
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. track — a song
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. pitch — completely
  21. charge — a price
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. game — wild animals
  24. fan — a supporter

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