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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. chip — for betting
  3. net — in sport
  4. face — to confront
  5. charge — a price
  6. face — to point toward
  7. drill — the tool
  8. net — after costs
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. drill — a practice
  12. chip — to eat
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. net — for catching
  15. wind — moving air
  16. charge — electricity
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. shower — rain
  21. drill — army training
  22. shower — to wash
  23. face — part of the head
  24. wind — moving air

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