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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. charge — electricity
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. mate — a friend
  5. mate — to breed
  6. key — for a lock
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. charge — a price
  10. ground — the earth
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. key — in music
  14. charge — in control
  15. hand — in cards
  16. key — the most important part
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. ground — crushed
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. ground — a position
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — moving air
  24. mate — a partner

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