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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're almost out of ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. pit — in a race
  3. drill — a practice
  4. charge — in control
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pit — a hole
  7. charge — electricity
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. tube — a container
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. drill — army training
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. tube — the underground
  17. pop — music
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. charge — a price
  20. rash — hasty
  21. rash — a series
  22. drill — the tool
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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