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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. roll — a list
  3. charge — in control
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. lean — to bend
  7. bass — low music
  8. lean — thin
  9. charge — a price
  10. pit — a hole
  11. spell — magic
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. charge — electricity
  15. bass — the fish
  16. key — for a lock
  17. roll — a cake
  18. spell — letters
  19. key — the most important part
  20. spell — a short time
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. key — in music
  23. game — wild animals
  24. pit — in a race

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