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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. spell — a short time
  3. charge — electricity
  4. chip — for betting
  5. spell — letters
  6. charge — in control
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. bank — for money
  13. rule — a law
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. sharp — clever
  16. bank — of a river
  17. chip — to eat
  18. spell — magic
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. charge — a price
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bank — for money
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. rule — government

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