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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. staff — a stick
  3. roll — a list
  4. charge — in control
  5. staff — employees
  6. saw — the tool
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. roll — a cake
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. staff — employees
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. saw — the tool
  14. cell — a phone
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. cell — in biology
  17. branch — a division
  18. game — a match
  19. game — wild animals
  20. charge — a price
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. charge — electricity
  24. branch — of a tree

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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