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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bat · charge · patient · object · clip · ground · spell · fine

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. ground — crushed
  3. charge — a price
  4. charge — in control
  5. object — a thing
  6. clip — a video
  7. spell — magic
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. fine — high quality
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. clip — to cut
  12. charge — electricity
  13. spell — a short time
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. ground — a position
  17. ground — the earth
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. spell — letters
  20. object — an aim
  21. object — to protest
  22. bat — the animal
  23. clip — for paper
  24. bat — for baseball

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