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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. chip — to eat
  3. cell — in biology
  4. fall — to drop
  5. chip — for betting
  6. cold — an illness
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. present — the time now
  9. present — there
  10. cold — not warm
  11. fall — to drop
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. ball — a dance
  14. charge — in control
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. ball — a great time
  17. perch — the fish
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. cell — a phone
  20. present — a gift
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. fall — the season
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. charge — electricity

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