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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. cap — a hat
  3. game — wild animals
  4. fork — in a road
  5. scale — in music
  6. charge — in control
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. charge — electricity
  12. charge — a price
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. game — a match
  17. cap — of ice
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. cap — a lid
  20. scale — size or range
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. cell — in biology
  23. wake — a trail
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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