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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 116 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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. charge — in control
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. charge — a price
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. bat — the animal
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. track — a path
  10. mine — for digging
  11. prune — to trim
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. rash — a series
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. track — a song
  20. bass — low music
  21. charge — electricity
  22. track — to keep track
  23. bass — the fish
  24. mine — an explosive

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