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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. rest — what's left
  4. spring — a coil
  5. charge — in control
  6. rash — hasty
  7. charge — a price
  8. scale — size or range
  9. rest — a break
  10. scale — in music
  11. game — a match
  12. spring — the season
  13. spring — of water
  14. current — electric
  15. game — wild animals
  16. current — happening now
  17. charge — electricity
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. rest — what's left
  22. current — of water
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. game — a kind of play

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