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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. ground — the earth
  4. ground — a position
  5. ground — crushed
  6. snap — to click
  7. bat — the animal
  8. game — wild animals
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. present — the time now
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. charge — a price
  19. game — a match
  20. present — there
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. lie — to recline
  23. present — a gift
  24. charge — electricity

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