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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. wound — an injury
  3. charge — electricity
  4. current — happening now
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. wound — an injury
  9. object — an aim
  10. current — electric
  11. current — of water
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. object — to protest
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. chip — to eat
  19. object — a thing
  20. chip — for betting
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. charge — a price
  24. charge — in control

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