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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. vault — a safe
  7. mug — to rob
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. mug — a face
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. charge — a price
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. charge — in control
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. wound — an injury
  24. mug — a cup

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