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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. spring — the season
  5. charge — in control
  6. last — final
  7. ball — a dance
  8. object — to protest
  9. spring — of water
  10. charge — electricity
  11. chip — to eat
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. ball — a great time
  15. bat — the animal
  16. charge — a price
  17. object — a thing
  18. last — to go on
  19. chip — for betting
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. object — an aim
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. spring — a coil

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