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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. last — finally
  4. charge — in control
  5. game — a match
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. wind — moving air
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. last — to go on
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. wind — moving air
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. last — final
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. bass — the fish
  19. charge — electricity
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. bass — low music
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. game — wild animals

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