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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chest — of your body
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. rash — hasty
  7. mate — to breed
  8. bound — tied together
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. mate — a friend
  11. plane — a tool
  12. bound — obliged
  13. charge — electricity
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. mate — a partner
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. rash — a series
  19. charge — in control
  20. chest — a box
  21. bound — certain
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. plane — in geometry

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