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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. charge — a price
  4. last — final
  5. charge — electricity
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. mug — a cup
  10. rash — hasty
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. last — finally
  13. last — to go on
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. track — a song
  16. mug — to rob
  17. track — a path
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. track — to keep track
  20. mug — a face
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. charge — in control
  24. bowl — a dish

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