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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. charge — a price
  3. lean — thin
  4. rash — hasty
  5. pit — a hole
  6. saw — the tool
  7. rash — a series
  8. pit — in a race
  9. clip — to cut
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. saw — the tool
  12. clip — a video
  13. clip — for paper
  14. charge — electricity
  15. ball — a dance
  16. mark — a trace
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. charge — in control
  19. lean — to bend
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. ball — a great time
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. mark — a grade

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