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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. staff — employees
  3. snap — to click
  4. staff — a stick
  5. charge — in control
  6. spring — the season
  7. spring — a coil
  8. charge — electricity
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. spring — of water
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. march — the month
  13. bark — to shout
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. march — the month
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. march — music
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. staff — employees
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. toast — bread
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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