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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 120 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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. last — final
  3. last — finally
  4. club — for golf
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. clip — a video
  9. charge — electricity
  10. last — to go on
  11. club — for dancing
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — to be able to
  15. perch — the fish
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. charge — in control
  18. clip — to cut
  19. clip — for paper
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. club — a group
  22. fine — high quality
  23. charge — a price
  24. fine — all right

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