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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 120 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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. tube — a container
  3. kid — child
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. kid — to tease
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. net — for catching
  9. row — a line
  10. net — in sport
  11. snap — to click
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. charge — a price
  15. row — to paddle
  16. charge — electricity
  17. net — after costs
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. tube — the underground
  20. wound — an injury
  21. perch — the fish
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  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