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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 116 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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. fine — high quality
  3. charge — in control
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. ground — crushed
  7. spring — of water
  8. ground — the earth
  9. spring — a coil
  10. charge — electricity
  11. spring — the season
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. mug — a face
  15. swing — in golf
  16. charge — a price
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. mug — to rob
  20. dip — to sink
  21. swing — to play on
  22. ground — a position
  23. mug — a cup
  24. fine — all right

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