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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. charge — electricity
  3. charge — a price
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. foot — a measure
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. deal — to handle
  11. charge — in control
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. hand — in cards
  14. sharp — clever
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. shower — rain
  21. perch — the fish
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. shower — to wash

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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