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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. fork — in a road
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. charge — electricity
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. plane — a tool
  15. charge — a price
  16. shower — rain
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. rule — government
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. rule — a law
  23. mine — for digging
  24. charge — in control

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