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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 116 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: shower · content · safe · degree · lash · tear · charge · lie

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. degree — an amount
  4. content — happy
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. degree — from a university
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. shower — to wash
  11. charge — in control
  12. tear — from crying
  13. charge — electricity
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. shower — rain
  16. content — the amount
  17. degree — temperature
  18. tear — to rip
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. charge — a price
  22. tear — from crying
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. lie — to recline

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