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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. rash — a series
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. rest — what's left
  5. saw — the tool
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. charge — electricity
  8. saw — the tool
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. deal — to handle
  12. bat — the animal
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. wind — moving air
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rash — hasty
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. charge — in control
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. rest — a break
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. deal — an agreement

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