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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. rest — what's left
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. craft — a skill
  5. craft — boats
  6. snap — to click
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. plane — a tool
  9. key — the most important part
  10. rest — a break
  11. charge — a price
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. wound — an injury
  14. rest — what's left
  15. charge — in control
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. key — in music
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. key — for a lock
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. bat — the animal
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  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