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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. game — wild animals
  5. charge — electricity
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. shower — to wash
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. date — the fruit
  11. shower — rain
  12. charge — in control
  13. charge — a price
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. land — a country
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. land — ground
  19. land — to come down
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. pass — a permit
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. arm — part of the body

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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