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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. charge — a price
  3. track — a song
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. spell — a short time
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. bear — the animal
  10. wound — an injury
  11. spell — magic
  12. track — a path
  13. club — for golf
  14. bear — the animal
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. wound — an injury
  17. charge — electricity
  18. rash — hasty
  19. club — for dancing
  20. track — to keep track
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. charge — in control
  23. club — a group
  24. rash — a series

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