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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 120 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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. charge — electricity
  3. fine — all right
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. charge — a price
  6. cell — a phone
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. cell — in biology
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. fine — high quality
  17. craft — boats
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. wake — a trail
  22. craft — a skill
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. charge — in control

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