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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. charge — a price
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. pop — soda
  7. sharp — clever
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. mine — for digging
  10. pop — music
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. charge — in control
  16. fork — in a road
  17. pop — to visit
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. kick — in football
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. plane — a tool
  24. kick — with a leg

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