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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. hand — in cards
  3. charge — in control
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. pit — in a race
  6. object — a thing
  7. net — in sport
  8. hand — help
  9. bound — certain
  10. net — after costs
  11. net — for catching
  12. object — an aim
  13. wake — a trail
  14. charge — a price
  15. bound — tied together
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. spring — the season
  18. spring — a coil
  19. pit — a hole
  20. object — to protest
  21. charge — electricity
  22. spring — of water
  23. bound — obliged
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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