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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. charge — a price
  3. spring — the season
  4. pit — a hole
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. squash — to crush
  8. ball — a dance
  9. rock — music
  10. spring — a coil
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. spring — of water
  16. squash — the sport
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. rock — a stone
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. ball — a great time
  21. charge — in control
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. pit — in a race
  24. arm — a part of something

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