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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. staff — employees
  3. charge — a price
  4. mate — a partner
  5. mate — a friend
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. charge — in control
  8. mate — to breed
  9. staff — a stick
  10. charge — electricity
  11. degree — from a university
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. degree — an amount
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. spell — letters
  16. rash — hasty
  17. bound — tied together
  18. staff — employees
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. spell — magic
  21. bound — obliged
  22. degree — temperature
  23. bound — certain
  24. rash — a series

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