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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. spring — a coil
  3. rush — hurry
  4. spring — of water
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. sharp — clever
  7. game — a match
  8. spring — the season
  9. charge — a price
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. charge — electricity
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. bound — obliged
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. bound — certain
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. bound — tied together
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. kid — child
  23. game — wild animals
  24. kid — to tease

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