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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. lean — thin
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. bound — obliged
  5. tear — from crying
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. tear — to rip
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. charge — a price
  10. bound — tied together
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. tear — from crying
  13. pound — a weight
  14. bound — certain
  15. mark — a grade
  16. charge — in control
  17. mark — a trace
  18. snap — to click
  19. cap — a lid
  20. lean — to bend
  21. cap — of ice
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. cap — a hat
  24. pound — for dogs

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