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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 124 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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. fine — all right
  5. toast — bread
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. rash — hasty
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. pop — to visit
  10. charge — a price
  11. rash — a series
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. charge — in control
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. pop — music
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. bat — the animal
  20. pop — soda
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. fine — high quality
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. toast — the most admired

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