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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. track — to keep track
  3. swing — music
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. swing — to play on
  6. fall — to drop
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. track — a path
  9. charge — a price
  10. shower — rain
  11. fork — in a road
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. date — the fruit
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. track — a song
  19. fall — the season
  20. shower — to wash
  21. charge — electricity
  22. foot — a measure
  23. fall — to drop
  24. swing — in golf

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