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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. charge — in control
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. charge — electricity
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. charge — a price
  9. sharp — clever
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. game — a match
  12. mark — a trace
  13. mark — a grade
  14. tube — a container
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. firm — a company
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. bat — the animal
  19. game — wild animals
  20. firm — steady
  21. firm — decided
  22. snap — to click
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. bat — in an idiom

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