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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. bass — the fish
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. season — in sport
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bass — low music
  13. file — a document
  14. charge — a price
  15. charge — electricity
  16. file — a line of people
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. snap — to click
  19. season — of the year
  20. wound — an injury
  21. file — a tool
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. wound — an injury

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