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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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. ground — a position
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. prune — to trim
  8. charge — in control
  9. ground — crushed
  10. net — after costs
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. cell — a phone
  13. hand — in cards
  14. net — in sport
  15. cell — in biology
  16. prune — to trim
  17. chip — to eat
  18. chip — for betting
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. charge — a price
  21. hand — help
  22. charge — electricity
  23. net — for catching
  24. fan — a supporter

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