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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. present — a gift
  4. game — wild animals
  5. present — there
  6. game — a match
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. bat — the animal
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. charge — electricity
  12. charge — in control
  13. scale — in music
  14. scale — size or range
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. fine — all right
  17. wake — a trail
  18. spring — the season
  19. present — the time now
  20. spring — of water
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. fine — high quality
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. spring — a coil

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