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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 120 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 tickets are free of ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. charge — electricity
  5. present — there
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. spring — the season
  9. spring — of water
  10. plane — a tool
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. charge — in control
  13. march — the month
  14. present — a gift
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. rush — hurry
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. march — music
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. spring — a coil
  23. march — the month
  24. present — the time now

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