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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. track — a path
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. shower — rain
  7. saw — the tool
  8. kick — in football
  9. land — ground
  10. shower — to wash
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. land — a country
  13. charge — in control
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. track — to keep track
  17. fine — all right
  18. land — to come down
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. fine — high quality
  21. charge — a price
  22. track — a song
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. charge — electricity

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