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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. charge — a price
  3. charge — electricity
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. mug — a face
  6. mug — a cup
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. charge — in control
  9. rash — hasty
  10. degree — from a university
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. roll — a list
  14. rash — a series
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. degree — temperature
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. mug — to rob
  20. shower — to wash
  21. shower — rain
  22. degree — an amount
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. stem — to come from

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