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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. object — a thing
  3. chip — for betting
  4. object — to protest
  5. rock — a stone
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. hand — help
  11. rock — music
  12. fall — to drop
  13. hand — in cards
  14. chip — to eat
  15. fall — to drop
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. object — an aim
  18. foot — a measure
  19. fall — the season
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. saw — the tool
  22. charge — in control
  23. saw — the tool
  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