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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. chip — to eat
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. hand — help
  6. last — finally
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. club — for golf
  11. club — a group
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — the tool
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. last — final
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. last — to go on
  19. chip — for betting
  20. club — for dancing
  21. hand — in cards
  22. charge — in control
  23. charge — a price
  24. charge — electricity

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