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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. rash — a series
  3. court — of law
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. charge — in control
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. net — for catching
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. court — of a king
  10. file — a tool
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lie — to recline
  13. file — a line of people
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. court — for sport
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. file — a document
  18. fork — in a road
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. net — after costs
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. charge — a price
  23. rash — hasty
  24. charge — electricity

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