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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. plane — a tool
  4. snap — to click
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. chest — a box
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. season — in sport
  12. fork — in a road
  13. charge — in control
  14. board — to get on
  15. chest — of your body
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. season — of the year
  19. chest — of your body
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. board — a committee
  22. band — a ring
  23. charge — electricity
  24. band — a music group

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