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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 124 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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. charge — in control
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. kid — child
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. prune — to trim
  7. mine — for digging
  8. prune — to trim
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. hand — in cards
  13. hand — help
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. charge — electricity
  21. kid — to tease
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. charge — a price
  24. lie — to recline

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