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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. net — in sport
  3. charge — a price
  4. bore — to tire
  5. charge — in control
  6. net — after costs
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. charge — electricity
  10. branch — a division
  11. bore — to drill
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. net — for catching
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. club — a group
  16. club — for golf
  17. race — a contest
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. wake — a trail
  20. rash — a series
  21. race — humankind
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. race — the arms race
  24. club — for dancing

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