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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. charge — in control
  3. wound — an injury
  4. scale — size or range
  5. lean — thin
  6. charge — a price
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. saw — the tool
  10. wound — an injury
  11. charge — electricity
  12. cap — a hat
  13. lean — to bend
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. last — to go on
  16. last — final
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. saw — the tool
  19. scale — in music
  20. last — finally
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. cap — of ice
  23. date — the fruit
  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