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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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. charge — electricity
  3. charge — a price
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. cold — not warm
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. plane — a tool
  9. chip — to eat
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. band — a ring
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. cold — an illness
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. chip — for betting
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. charge — in control
  23. band — a music group
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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