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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 116 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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. kick — in football
  3. bass — low music
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. mine — for digging
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. bear — the animal
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. charge — electricity
  10. rest — a break
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. charge — in control
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. game — a match
  15. charge — a price
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. bass — the fish
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. rest — what's left
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. rest — what's left

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