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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 ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. date — the fruit
  3. dip — to sink
  4. charge — in control
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. cell — a phone
  8. charge — electricity
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. file — a line of people
  11. wound — an injury
  12. file — a document
  13. ground — the earth
  14. cell — in biology
  15. ground — crushed
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. ground — a position
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. file — a tool
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. wound — an injury

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