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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. object — to protest
  3. charge — a price
  4. race — a contest
  5. rash — a series
  6. rock — music
  7. present — a gift
  8. can — a tin
  9. present — the time now
  10. object — a thing
  11. hand — help
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. object — an aim
  14. race — the arms race
  15. can — to be able to
  16. race — humankind
  17. charge — in control
  18. rock — a stone
  19. present — there
  20. can — a tin
  21. charge — electricity
  22. rash — hasty
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. hand — in cards

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