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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. track — a song
  3. charge — a price
  4. track — a path
  5. charge — in control
  6. lean — to bend
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. dip — to sink
  9. game — wild animals
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. game — a match
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. tear — from crying
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. net — in sport
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. net — after costs
  19. tear — from crying
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. tear — to rip
  22. net — for catching
  23. track — to keep track
  24. lean — thin

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