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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. charge — in control
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. present — the time now
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. scale — size or range
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. spell — magic
  13. spell — a short time
  14. present — a gift
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. spell — letters
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. present — there
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. scale — in music
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. charge — electricity

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