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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. field — a subject
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. chip — to eat
  8. wind — moving air
  9. charge — a price
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. field — farmland
  12. rash — a series
  13. cell — a phone
  14. field — for sport
  15. chip — for betting
  16. cell — in biology
  17. charge — in control
  18. rash — hasty
  19. pass — a permit
  20. charge — electricity
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. wind — moving air
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. pass — to spend time

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