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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. firm — a company
  3. rock — music
  4. bass — the fish
  5. net — in sport
  6. land — to come down
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. wound — an injury
  9. charge — electricity
  10. firm — decided
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. charge — a price
  13. net — for catching
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. sharp — clever
  16. rock — a stone
  17. land — ground
  18. bass — low music
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. firm — steady
  22. wound — an injury
  23. land — a country
  24. net — after costs

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