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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. wake — a trail
  4. tube — a container
  5. march — the month
  6. chip — for betting
  7. march — music
  8. tube — the underground
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. march — the month
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. cell — in biology
  17. charge — electricity
  18. chip — to eat
  19. bat — the animal
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. cell — a phone
  22. charge — in control
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. charge — a price

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