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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. cell — in biology
  3. charge — a price
  4. sharp — clever
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. cell — a phone
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. tube — a container
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. spell — magic
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. spell — a short time
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. board — a committee
  18. board — to get on
  19. tube — the underground
  20. charge — in control
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. spell — letters
  24. charge — electricity

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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