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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. charge — in control
  4. charge — a price
  5. band — a music group
  6. object — to protest
  7. charge — electricity
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. mine — for digging
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. band — a ring
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. foot — a measure
  19. snap — to click
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. object — an aim
  22. pitch — completely
  23. object — a thing
  24. mine — an explosive

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