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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. pop — soda
  3. scale — in music
  4. clip — for paper
  5. charge — a price
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pop — music
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. clip — to cut
  10. rest — what's left
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. scale — size or range
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. field — a subject
  16. clip — a video
  17. field — for sport
  18. rest — what's left
  19. pop — to visit
  20. rest — a break
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. field — farmland
  24. charge — electricity

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