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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 sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. scale — in music
  4. charge — a price
  5. charge — electricity
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. scale — size or range
  11. pit — in a race
  12. wind — moving air
  13. pit — a hole
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. charge — in control
  18. wind — moving air
  19. game — wild animals
  20. dip — to sink
  21. game — a match
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. game — a kind of play

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