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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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Word bank
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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'll be taking the ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. tube — the underground
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. fine — high quality
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. fine — all right
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. charge — in control
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. cold — an illness
  14. can — to be able to
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. charge — electricity
  17. sharp — clever
  18. perch — the fish
  19. cold — not warm
  20. can — a tin
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. tube — a container
  24. can — a tin

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