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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. last — finally
  3. wind — moving air
  4. net — in sport
  5. net — for catching
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. hand — help
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. charge — electricity
  15. stand — to bear
  16. last — to go on
  17. net — after costs
  18. wind — moving air
  19. charge — in control
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. pass — a permit
  23. last — final
  24. hand — in cards

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