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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 120 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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. rash — a series
  4. pop — to visit
  5. rash — hasty
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. mark — a trace
  8. pop — music
  9. charge — a price
  10. game — a match
  11. bear — the animal
  12. file — a document
  13. game — wild animals
  14. bear — the animal
  15. pop — soda
  16. charge — electricity
  17. file — a line of people
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. mark — a grade
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. file — a tool

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