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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 hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. charge — a price
  3. current — of water
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. spell — a short time
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. charge — electricity
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. spell — letters
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. net — after costs
  13. ground — the earth
  14. net — for catching
  15. ground — a position
  16. current — happening now
  17. ground — crushed
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. spell — magic
  21. current — electric
  22. net — in sport
  23. charge — in control
  24. trunk — of a tree

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