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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. dip — to sink
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. root — of a word
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. root — the cause
  11. charge — in control
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. charge — a price
  15. chip — to eat
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. wake — a trail
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. chip — for betting
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. root — of a plant
  23. plane — a tool
  24. plane — in geometry

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