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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 120 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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. charge — a price
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. saw — the tool
  6. charge — in control
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. ground — the earth
  9. object — to protest
  10. ground — crushed
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. object — a thing
  14. clip — for paper
  15. kick — in football
  16. craft — boats
  17. clip — a video
  18. ground — a position
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. object — an aim
  21. saw — the tool
  22. craft — a skill
  23. clip — to cut
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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