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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. ground — crushed
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. charge — in control
  7. wind — moving air
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. ground — a position
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. wind — moving air
  12. roll — a cake
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. ground — the earth
  16. charge — electricity
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. rule — a law
  19. kick — in football
  20. roll — a list
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. rule — government
  23. vault — a safe
  24. fork — in a road

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