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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. lean — to bend
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. key — for a lock
  6. charge — a price
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. charge — electricity
  10. land — to come down
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. prune — to trim
  13. key — the most important part
  14. squash — to crush
  15. land — ground
  16. present — there
  17. lean — thin
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. squash — the sport
  20. present — the time now
  21. prune — to trim
  22. present — a gift
  23. key — in music
  24. land — a country

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