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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. wound — an injury
  3. date — the fruit
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. key — in music
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. key — for a lock
  9. rash — a series
  10. roll — a cake
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. charge — in control
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. roll — a list
  15. charge — electricity
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. key — the most important part
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. charge — a price
  20. wound — an injury
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. stock — shares
  24. stock — goods

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