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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. tear — from crying
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. charge — a price
  6. net — for catching
  7. mark — a trace
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. mark — a grade
  10. charge — in control
  11. net — in sport
  12. fine — all right
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. tear — from crying
  18. ground — crushed
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. net — after costs
  21. ground — the earth
  22. tear — to rip
  23. ground — a position
  24. fine — high quality

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