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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. snap — to click
  3. charge — in control
  4. bat — the animal
  5. key — in music
  6. lie — to recline
  7. scale — in music
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. key — the most important part
  11. charge — electricity
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. scale — size or range
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. key — for a lock
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. safe — a strongbox

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