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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. mug — to rob
  3. present — a gift
  4. present — there
  5. charge — a price
  6. mug — a face
  7. charge — in control
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. race — the arms race
  10. charge — electricity
  11. sharp — clever
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. clip — for paper
  15. mug — a cup
  16. date — the fruit
  17. clip — to cut
  18. race — a contest
  19. race — humankind
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. present — the time now
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. clip — a video

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