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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: bay · tear · land · tube · charge · kid · stick · pitcher

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. charge — electricity
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. kid — child
  6. land — a country
  7. kid — to tease
  8. tear — to rip
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tube — a container
  12. tube — the underground
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. land — ground
  18. charge — a price
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. tear — from crying
  22. land — to come down
  23. charge — in control
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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