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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. roll — a list
  3. staff — a stick
  4. toast — bread
  5. rock — a stone
  6. rash — a series
  7. staff — employees
  8. club — for dancing
  9. club — a group
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. cold — not warm
  15. staff — employees
  16. rash — hasty
  17. rock — music
  18. charge — a price
  19. charge — in control
  20. roll — a cake
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. charge — electricity
  23. club — for golf
  24. toast — the most admired

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