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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. track — a path
  6. track — to keep track
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. chip — for betting
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. charge — in control
  12. hand — in cards
  13. charge — a price
  14. kick — in football
  15. hand — help
  16. chip — to eat
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. mine — for digging
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. track — a song
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. bark — to shout
  24. mine — belonging to me

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