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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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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 tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. charge — electricity
  3. chest — a box
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. game — a match
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. bulb — for light
  11. charge — in control
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. bark — to shout
  14. roll — a cake
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. game — wild animals
  17. chest — of your body
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. chest — of your body
  21. bulb — for light
  22. wake — a trail
  23. roll — a list
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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