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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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. rush — hurry
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. charge — electricity
  5. charge — a price
  6. charge — in control
  7. rash — a series
  8. rash — hasty
  9. file — a line of people
  10. deal — to handle
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. wound — an injury
  13. file — a tool
  14. wound — an injury
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. roll — a cake
  19. file — a document
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. prune — to trim
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. prune — to trim

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