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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 116 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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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: rock · wind · ball · tear · charge · game · sharp · fine

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. charge — a price
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. ball — a dance
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. rock — music
  8. tear — from crying
  9. game — wild animals
  10. wind — moving air
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. sharp — clever
  14. rock — a stone
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tear — to rip
  17. charge — in control
  18. ball — a great time
  19. charge — electricity
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. fine — high quality
  22. fine — all right
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. wind — moving air

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