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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. rest — what's left
  3. charge — in control
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. rash — hasty
  6. game — a match
  7. rest — a break
  8. charge — electricity
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. spring — a coil
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. spring — the season
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. dip — to sink
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. charge — a price
  20. spring — of water
  21. fork — in a road
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. rash — a series

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