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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. pit — a hole
  3. wind — moving air
  4. firm — a company
  5. present — the time now
  6. present — a gift
  7. present — there
  8. wind — moving air
  9. row — a line
  10. firm — steady
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bark — to shout
  13. court — of a king
  14. row — to paddle
  15. court — of law
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. charge — electricity
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. firm — decided
  20. charge — a price
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. pit — in a race
  23. court — for sport
  24. bark — of a tree

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