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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. charge — a price
  4. fall — to drop
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. game — a match
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. charge — in control
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. game — wild animals
  19. bat — the animal
  20. sharp — clever
  21. fall — to drop
  22. bark — to shout
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. charge — electricity

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