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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 116 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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. wound — an injury
  3. track — to keep track
  4. ground — a position
  5. spell — a short time
  6. pitch — completely
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. track — a song
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. spell — letters
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. bulb — for light
  14. sharp — clever
  15. charge — electricity
  16. charge — in control
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. spell — magic
  19. ground — crushed
  20. track — a path
  21. bulb — for light
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. ground — the earth
  24. wound — an injury

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