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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pit · kick · fine · mine · bay · charge · shower · tear

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. pit — in a race
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. tear — to rip
  6. fine — high quality
  7. kick — in football
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. shower — to wash
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. tear — from crying
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. charge — a price
  17. pit — a hole
  18. charge — in control
  19. tear — from crying
  20. shower — rain
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. charge — electricity
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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