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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. charge — in control
  3. charge — a price
  4. tube — the underground
  5. scale — size or range
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. stand — to bear
  8. game — wild animals
  9. roll — a list
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. scale — in music
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. pop — soda
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. tube — a container
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. pop — music
  18. game — a match
  19. pop — to visit
  20. roll — a cake
  21. kick — in football
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. tube — in a tire

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