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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. roll — a cake
  3. charge — a price
  4. swing — to play on
  5. land — a country
  6. swing — music
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. charge — electricity
  9. charge — in control
  10. fall — to drop
  11. snap — to click
  12. fall — the season
  13. swing — in golf
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. bank — for money
  16. pit — a hole
  17. land — ground
  18. fall — to drop
  19. roll — a list
  20. bank — of a river
  21. land — to come down
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. pit — in a race
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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