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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 120 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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. charge — in control
  3. chest — of your body
  4. last — to go on
  5. chest — a box
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. rush — hurry
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. last — final
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. charge — electricity
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. last — finally
  16. cell — in biology
  17. scale — in music
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. scale — size or range
  21. chest — of your body
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. cell — a phone
  24. bark — to shout

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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