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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. wind — moving air
  3. charge — electricity
  4. charge — a price
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. game — wild animals
  7. mark — a grade
  8. bound — obliged
  9. kick — in football
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. wind — moving air
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. bound — tied together
  15. mark — a trace
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. bound — certain
  20. cell — a phone
  21. game — a match
  22. cell — in biology
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. bat — the animal

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