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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: fall · tear · clip · chest · charge · arm · nail · fine

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. fall — to drop
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. fine — high quality
  5. fall — the season
  6. tear — to rip
  7. clip — for paper
  8. charge — a price
  9. tear — from crying
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. fine — all right
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. clip — a video
  16. fall — to drop
  17. clip — to cut
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — a box
  21. chest — of your body
  22. charge — electricity
  23. tear — from crying
  24. nail — on a finger

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