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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. charge — electricity
  4. swing — music
  5. charge — a price
  6. mark — a trace
  7. ground — the earth
  8. ground — crushed
  9. swing — to play on
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. shower — to wash
  13. charge — in control
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. shower — rain
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. swing — in golf
  20. ground — a position
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. mark — a grade
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. wake — a trail

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