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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. rest — a break
  3. pop — music
  4. charge — in control
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. cue — a hint
  8. cue — for pool
  9. mine — for digging
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. perch — the fish
  15. root — the cause
  16. rest — what's left
  17. root — of a plant
  18. cue — a signal
  19. rest — what's left
  20. pop — to visit
  21. charge — a price
  22. root — of a word
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. pop — soda

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