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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. scale — in music
  4. wake — a trail
  5. charge — a price
  6. kick — in football
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. scale — size or range
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. board — a committee
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. can — to be able to
  14. field — a subject
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. field — for sport
  19. can — a tin
  20. charge — in control
  21. field — farmland
  22. board — to get on
  23. can — a tin
  24. mouse — for a computer

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