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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. track — a path
  4. charge — a price
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. bound — obliged
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. rush — hurry
  9. net — after costs
  10. mug — to rob
  11. net — in sport
  12. net — for catching
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. mug — a cup
  15. spring — a coil
  16. bound — tied together
  17. track — to keep track
  18. charge — in control
  19. track — a song
  20. dip — to sink
  21. spring — of water
  22. spring — the season
  23. bound — certain
  24. mug — a face

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