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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: tear · stick · nail · cell · pitch · rock · charge · shower

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. tear — to rip
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. charge — electricity
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. cell — in biology
  7. rock — music
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. shower — rain
  10. cell — a phone
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. pitch — completely
  13. tear — from crying
  14. shower — to wash
  15. charge — a price
  16. tear — from crying
  17. rock — a stone
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. charge — in control
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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