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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. wake — a trail
  3. charge — a price
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. last — finally
  7. net — after costs
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. pop — to visit
  10. last — to go on
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. net — in sport
  13. game — wild animals
  14. wind — moving air
  15. charge — electricity
  16. perch — the fish
  17. wind — moving air
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. pop — music
  20. pop — soda
  21. last — final
  22. net — for catching
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. game — a match

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