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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. object — an aim
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. shower — rain
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. charge — a price
  10. charge — in control
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. object — to protest
  14. dip — to sink
  15. shower — to wash
  16. present — a gift
  17. charge — electricity
  18. object — a thing
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — to rip
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. present — the time now
  24. tear — from crying

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