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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 tickets are free of ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. object — an aim
  4. charge — in control
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. tube — a container
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. band — a music group
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. tube — the underground
  11. march — music
  12. charge — electricity
  13. chip — to eat
  14. hand — in cards
  15. chip — for betting
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. march — the month
  18. object — a thing
  19. hand — help
  20. object — to protest
  21. march — the month
  22. band — a ring
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. wake — a trail

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