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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. charge — a price
  3. rest — a break
  4. fine — high quality
  5. rest — what's left
  6. charge — electricity
  7. face — to point toward
  8. rest — what's left
  9. chip — to eat
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. fine — all right
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. chip — for betting
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. row — to paddle
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. face — part of the head
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. hand — help
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. face — to confront
  22. hand — in cards
  23. row — a line
  24. date — the fruit

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