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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. mate — to breed
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. kid — child
  5. field — for sport
  6. field — a subject
  7. swing — to play on
  8. bound — tied together
  9. bank — for money
  10. rash — hasty
  11. charge — a price
  12. field — farmland
  13. bound — certain
  14. mate — a friend
  15. mate — a partner
  16. swing — music
  17. kid — to tease
  18. charge — in control
  19. bank — for money
  20. charge — electricity
  21. bound — obliged
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. bank — of a river
  24. swing — in golf

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