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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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468
Word bank
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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. root — the cause
  4. swing — music
  5. game — wild animals
  6. foot — a measure
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. swing — in golf
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. file — a tool
  12. charge — a price
  13. file — a line of people
  14. root — of a word
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. root — of a plant
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. swing — to play on
  20. game — a match
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. file — a document
  23. charge — in control
  24. game — a kind of play

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