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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. pass — a permit
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. drill — a practice
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. net — for catching
  8. wind — moving air
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. object — a thing
  11. object — an aim
  12. charge — electricity
  13. mine — for digging
  14. charge — in control
  15. drill — the tool
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. net — after costs
  19. charge — a price
  20. net — in sport
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. wind — moving air
  23. object — to protest
  24. drill — army training

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