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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. board — a committee
  6. charge — electricity
  7. mark — a trace
  8. charge — in control
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. board — to get on
  12. object — to protest
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. snap — to click
  15. wound — an injury
  16. object — an aim
  17. mark — a grade
  18. bat — the animal
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. charge — a price
  22. perch — the fish
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. wound — an injury

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