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

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. charge — a price
  3. wind — moving air
  4. charge — in control
  5. file — a document
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. file — a line of people
  9. ground — the earth
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. ground — a position
  12. face — to point toward
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. charge — electricity
  15. ground — crushed
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. face — to confront
  18. face — part of the head
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. file — a tool
  23. wind — moving air
  24. racket — for tennis

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