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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. date — the fruit
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. charge — electricity
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. present — a gift
  12. present — there
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. present — the time now
  15. perch — the fish
  16. kick — in football
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. sharp — clever
  22. charge — in control
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. date — on the calendar

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