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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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. game — a match
  3. cell — in biology
  4. charge — a price
  5. mark — a grade
  6. hand — in cards
  7. charge — in control
  8. mark — a trace
  9. bear — the animal
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. bear — the animal
  15. can — a tin
  16. saw — the tool
  17. can — a tin
  18. cell — a phone
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. can — to be able to
  21. saw — the tool
  22. hand — help
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. game — wild animals

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