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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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468
Word bank
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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. charge — electricity
  3. key — for a lock
  4. fine — high quality
  5. charge — a price
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. key — the most important part
  8. wind — moving air
  9. fine — all right
  10. charge — in control
  11. mine — for digging
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. key — in music
  15. pit — in a race
  16. snap — to click
  17. squash — the sport
  18. squash — to crush
  19. wind — moving air
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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