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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. charge — in control
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. wound — an injury
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. roll — a cake
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. sharp — clever
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. charge — a price
  20. rock — music
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. rock — a stone
  23. roll — a list
  24. bark — to shout

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