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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. charge — in control
  4. spell — magic
  5. net — for catching
  6. ball — a dance
  7. charge — a price
  8. net — after costs
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. spell — letters
  12. can — a tin
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. chair — a leader
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. charge — electricity
  18. can — a tin
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. can — to be able to
  21. squash — the sport
  22. ball — a great time
  23. squash — to crush
  24. spell — a short time

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