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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 tickets are free of ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. hand — in cards
  3. charge — electricity
  4. track — a song
  5. branch — a division
  6. mark — a grade
  7. charge — in control
  8. last — final
  9. ball — a great time
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. track — to keep track
  13. ball — a dance
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. track — a path
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. last — to go on
  22. hand — help
  23. mark — a trace
  24. last — finally

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