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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 116 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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. mug — to rob
  4. current — of water
  5. perch — the fish
  6. bass — the fish
  7. last — final
  8. ground — a position
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. charge — electricity
  11. bass — low music
  12. last — finally
  13. mug — a cup
  14. last — to go on
  15. current — happening now
  16. ground — the earth
  17. mug — a face
  18. tear — from crying
  19. ground — crushed
  20. current — electric
  21. tear — from crying
  22. charge — in control
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. tear — to rip

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