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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. roll — a cake
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. clip — for paper
  9. vault — a safe
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. bat — the animal
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. charge — electricity
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. charge — in control
  17. clip — a video
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. roll — a list
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. date — the fruit
  22. clip — to cut
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. leaves — to go away

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