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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. spell — magic
  3. snap — to click
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. rash — hasty
  6. spell — a short time
  7. chest — of your body
  8. vault — a safe
  9. wound — an injury
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — a box
  13. stand — to bear
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. spell — letters
  16. charge — in control
  17. wound — an injury
  18. charge — a price
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. charge — electricity
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. rash — on the skin

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