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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 120 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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. chest — of your body
  4. rest — what's left
  5. fine — all right
  6. shower — to wash
  7. charge — a price
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. bass — low music
  10. bass — the fish
  11. fine — high quality
  12. chest — of your body
  13. prune — to trim
  14. kick — in football
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. rest — what's left
  17. charge — in control
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. rest — a break
  20. shower — rain
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. chest — a box
  24. fine — a penalty

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