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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. mate — a partner
  3. chip — for betting
  4. chip — to eat
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. field — a subject
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. wake — a trail
  13. field — farmland
  14. wound — an injury
  15. charge — in control
  16. wound — an injury
  17. charge — electricity
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. field — for sport
  20. mate — a friend
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. dip — to sink
  23. mate — to breed
  24. dip — a sauce

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