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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. charge — in control
  3. fine — high quality
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. ball — a great time
  6. net — in sport
  7. fine — all right
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. net — for catching
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. last — to go on
  12. last — finally
  13. wound — an injury
  14. charge — electricity
  15. charge — a price
  16. ball — a dance
  17. net — after costs
  18. wound — an injury
  19. ground — the earth
  20. last — final
  21. ground — crushed
  22. ground — a position
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. roll — a list

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