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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. tear — to rip
  5. rash — hasty
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. tear — from crying
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. rash — a series
  13. charge — in control
  14. game — wild animals
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. game — a match
  17. tear — from crying
  18. root — the cause
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. root — of a word
  21. charge — electricity
  22. stem — to come from
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. root — of a plant

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