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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — to rip
  3. tear — from crying
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. face — part of the head
  7. craft — boats
  8. net — in sport
  9. ball — a dance
  10. charge — in control
  11. net — for catching
  12. bark — to shout
  13. craft — a skill
  14. capital — money
  15. net — after costs
  16. face — to point toward
  17. charge — electricity
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. face — to confront
  20. capital — a city
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. ball — a great time
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. charge — a price

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