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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. cap — a lid
  3. cap — a hat
  4. snap — to click
  5. charge — a price
  6. saw — the tool
  7. march — music
  8. charge — electricity
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. cap — of ice
  15. saw — the tool
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. march — the month
  20. charge — in control
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. wake — a trail
  24. march — the month

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