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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. charge — in control
  3. charge — a price
  4. race — a contest
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. pit — a hole
  8. band — a music group
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. pit — in a race
  11. wind — moving air
  12. land — to come down
  13. land — a country
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. race — the arms race
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. wind — moving air
  19. kick — in football
  20. land — ground
  21. chip — for betting
  22. race — humankind
  23. chip — to eat
  24. charge — electricity

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