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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. charge — in control
  4. prune — to trim
  5. net — in sport
  6. cap — a hat
  7. cap — a lid
  8. rash — a series
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. rest — what's left
  11. roll — a cake
  12. charge — electricity
  13. prune — to trim
  14. net — for catching
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. net — after costs
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. rest — what's left
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. pound — a weight
  21. rest — a break
  22. roll — a list
  23. charge — a price
  24. cap — of ice

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