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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. charge — electricity
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. cold — an illness
  7. charge — in control
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. pitch — completely
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. track — a song
  18. sharp — clever
  19. track — a path
  20. track — to keep track
  21. cold — not warm
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. charge — a price
  24. trunk — of a car

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