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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 116 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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. wake — a trail
  5. charge — electricity
  6. clip — for paper
  7. charge — a price
  8. spring — the season
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. field — for sport
  13. game — a match
  14. clip — a video
  15. spring — of water
  16. game — wild animals
  17. spring — a coil
  18. field — farmland
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. deal — to handle
  21. clip — to cut
  22. field — a subject
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. safe — a strongbox

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