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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. wake — a trail
  3. pit — a hole
  4. bass — low music
  5. pit — in a race
  6. chip — for betting
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. rush — hurry
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. bass — the fish
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. charge — a price
  15. mug — to rob
  16. mug — a cup
  17. chip — to eat
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. mug — a face
  22. charge — in control
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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