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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. face — to confront
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. drill — army training
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. race — humankind
  7. face — part of the head
  8. race — the arms race
  9. drill — the tool
  10. drill — a practice
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. degree — from a university
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. degree — an amount
  17. charge — in control
  18. face — to point toward
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. degree — temperature
  21. charge — electricity
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. race — a contest
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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