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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 120 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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. clip — a video
  3. land — a country
  4. club — a group
  5. charge — electricity
  6. fine — all right
  7. fine — high quality
  8. clip — to cut
  9. club — for dancing
  10. clip — for paper
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. ground — a position
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. ground — the earth
  17. club — for golf
  18. land — ground
  19. ground — crushed
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. charge — a price
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. land — to come down

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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