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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. charge — in control
  4. court — of a king
  5. root — the cause
  6. charge — a price
  7. suit — to fit
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. court — for sport
  12. suit — in cards
  13. root — of a word
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bat — the animal
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. court — of law
  18. charge — electricity
  19. rash — a series
  20. suit — clothes
  21. rash — hasty
  22. root — of a plant
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bat — for baseball

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