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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. rash — a series
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. charge — electricity
  6. file — a document
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. game — a match
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. rash — hasty
  11. rush — hurry
  12. cold — not warm
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. file — a tool
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. charge — a price
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. file — a line of people
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. cold — an illness
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. game — wild animals

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