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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. charge — a price
  4. mine — for digging
  5. chip — for betting
  6. drill — the tool
  7. drill — army training
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — to trim
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. scale — in music
  12. bear — the animal
  13. charge — electricity
  14. root — the cause
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. scale — size or range
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. chip — to eat
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. root — of a word
  22. drill — a practice
  23. root — of a plant
  24. bear — the animal

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