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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. net — for catching
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — employees
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. chip — for betting
  10. face — to point toward
  11. ground — the earth
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. charge — in control
  14. charge — a price
  15. net — in sport
  16. branch — a division
  17. chip — to eat
  18. face — part of the head
  19. ground — crushed
  20. staff — a stick
  21. ground — a position
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. net — after costs
  24. face — to confront

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