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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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. game — a match
  3. charge — in control
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. land — to come down
  7. charge — electricity
  8. wake — a trail
  9. bat — the animal
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. fall — to drop
  13. land — ground
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. game — wild animals
  16. bass — the fish
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. fall — the season
  19. land — a country
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — the tool
  22. fall — to drop
  23. bass — low music
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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