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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. net — in sport
  3. band — a music group
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. pop — music
  6. cap — of ice
  7. cap — a hat
  8. pop — soda
  9. wound — an injury
  10. charge — a price
  11. mug — a face
  12. cap — a lid
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. wake — a trail
  15. band — a ring
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. pop — to visit
  19. mug — to rob
  20. net — after costs
  21. net — for catching
  22. charge — electricity
  23. wound — an injury
  24. mug — a cup

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