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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. fine — high quality
  3. charge — electricity
  4. wind — moving air
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. cap — a lid
  7. chip — to eat
  8. charge — a price
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. row — to paddle
  11. fine — all right
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. bank — for money
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. bank — for money
  19. cap — of ice
  20. row — a line
  21. bank — of a river
  22. cap — a hat
  23. charge — in control
  24. chip — for betting

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