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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 116 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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. key — the most important part
  3. band — a music group
  4. charge — in control
  5. charge — electricity
  6. rash — a series
  7. charge — a price
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. key — for a lock
  11. can — a tin
  12. key — in music
  13. fine — all right
  14. can — a tin
  15. cold — an illness
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. cold — not warm
  18. fine — high quality
  19. bulb — for light
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. rash — hasty
  22. bulb — for light
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. band — a ring

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