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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. game — wild animals
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. lie — to recline
  6. game — a match
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. tear — from crying
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. tear — to rip
  12. snap — to click
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. land — to come down
  15. tear — from crying
  16. charge — a price
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. land — a country
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. pitch — completely
  22. land — ground
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. charge — in control

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