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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. object — to protest
  4. clip — to cut
  5. charge — a price
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. fine — all right
  8. spell — letters
  9. spell — magic
  10. clip — for paper
  11. foot — a measure
  12. charge — electricity
  13. mine — for digging
  14. object — an aim
  15. charge — in control
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. clip — a video
  18. spell — a short time
  19. can — a tin
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. can — a tin
  22. object — a thing
  23. can — to be able to
  24. fine — high quality

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