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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. bank — for money
  3. wake — a trail
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. pit — in a race
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. hand — in cards
  8. bank — of a river
  9. sharp — clever
  10. bank — for money
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. clip — for paper
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. hand — help
  18. clip — a video
  19. clip — to cut
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. charge — in control
  22. pit — a hole
  23. charge — electricity
  24. wake — before a funeral

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