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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. charge — a price
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. rock — a stone
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. ground — crushed
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. charge — electricity
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. plane — a tool
  14. shower — to wash
  15. charge — in control
  16. scale — in music
  17. scale — size or range
  18. ground — a position
  19. rash — a series
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. rock — music
  22. shower — rain
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. ground — the earth

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