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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 124 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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. kid — to tease
  3. saw — the tool
  4. stem — to come from
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. charge — electricity
  12. kid — child
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. game — wild animals
  15. plane — a tool
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. game — a match
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. charge — a price
  22. saw — the tool
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. toast — bread

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