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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. ground — a position
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. charge — electricity
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. march — the month
  9. charge — in control
  10. march — music
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. ground — crushed
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. spring — of water
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. ground — the earth
  18. spring — the season
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. wound — an injury
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. spring — a coil
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. march — the month

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