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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. charge — electricity
  4. scale — size or range
  5. charge — in control
  6. wind — moving air
  7. scale — in music
  8. object — a thing
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. cap — a lid
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. object — to protest
  13. charge — a price
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. wind — moving air
  18. cap — of ice
  19. pit — a hole
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — to trim
  22. pit — in a race
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. cap — a hat

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