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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. chair — a leader
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. charge — a price
  6. march — music
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. ball — a dance
  9. charge — in control
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. sharp — clever
  12. bank — for money
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. charge — electricity
  15. rash — a series
  16. ball — a great time
  17. bank — for money
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. march — the month
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. march — the month
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. rash — hasty
  24. bank — of a river

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