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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. charge — in control
  3. season — of the year
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. charge — electricity
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. chest — of your body
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. drill — the tool
  12. drill — army training
  13. charge — a price
  14. drill — a practice
  15. sharp — clever
  16. season — in sport
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. chest — of your body
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. plane — a tool
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. rule — a law
  24. rule — government

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