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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. land — ground
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. cold — an illness
  5. ball — a great time
  6. ball — a dance
  7. tear — to rip
  8. land — to come down
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. cold — not warm
  11. charge — electricity
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mug — to rob
  15. land — a country
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. tear — from crying
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. charge — in control
  20. charge — a price
  21. tear — from crying
  22. mug — a face
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. pass — a permit

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