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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. last — to go on
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. spell — magic
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. charge — in control
  8. pound — a weight
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. charge — a price
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. spell — a short time
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. last — finally
  17. charge — electricity
  18. spell — letters
  19. mine — for digging
  20. chip — to eat
  21. chip — for betting
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. bat — the animal
  24. bat — for baseball

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