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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. present — there
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. band — a music group
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. charge — electricity
  8. snap — to click
  9. charge — in control
  10. band — a ring
  11. bass — the fish
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — the tool
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. scale — size or range
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. scale — in music
  20. present — a gift
  21. bass — low music
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. present — the time now

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