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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 120 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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. cap — a lid
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. snap — to click
  7. game — a match
  8. charge — in control
  9. charge — electricity
  10. cap — a hat
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. cap — of ice
  13. saw — the tool
  14. pop — to visit
  15. current — happening now
  16. current — of water
  17. lie — to recline
  18. pop — soda
  19. current — electric
  20. game — wild animals
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. pop — music
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. saw — the tool

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