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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  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. wave — with your hand
  3. scale — in music
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. staff — employees
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. staff — a stick
  12. staff — employees
  13. hand — help
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. charge — in control
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. scale — size or range
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. clip — a video
  20. clip — to cut
  21. clip — for paper
  22. hand — in cards
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  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