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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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Word bank
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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. dip — to sink
  3. rash — hasty
  4. charge — in control
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. branch — a division
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. net — in sport
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. rash — a series
  14. net — for catching
  15. swing — music
  16. charge — a price
  17. snap — to click
  18. date — the fruit
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. swing — to play on
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. net — after costs
  24. swing — in golf

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