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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. charge — a price
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. charge — in control
  5. prune — to trim
  6. chair — a leader
  7. charge — electricity
  8. hand — in cards
  9. mine — for digging
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. hand — help
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. fine — high quality
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. prune — to trim
  21. fine — all right
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. mine — belonging to me

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