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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. spell — magic
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. rule — a law
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. stem — to come from
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. rash — a series
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. charge — electricity
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. shower — to wash
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. spell — a short time
  20. rule — government
  21. charge — a price
  22. spell — letters
  23. shower — rain
  24. rash — hasty

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