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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 had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. mark — a grade
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. charge — electricity
  5. kid — to tease
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. wind — moving air
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. pass — a permit
  11. last — to go on
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. wind — moving air
  15. mark — a trace
  16. charge — a price
  17. charge — in control
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. last — finally
  24. last — final

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