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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. present — a gift
  3. rash — a series
  4. mark — a trace
  5. charge — electricity
  6. charge — a price
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. track — a song
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. wind — moving air
  11. root — of a word
  12. present — the time now
  13. root — the cause
  14. cold — not warm
  15. mark — a grade
  16. present — there
  17. root — of a plant
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. track — to keep track
  20. rash — hasty
  21. charge — in control
  22. track — a path
  23. wind — moving air
  24. rash — on the skin

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