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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. charge — electricity
  3. rash — hasty
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. can — to be able to
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. row — a line
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. charge — a price
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. chip — for betting
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. can — a tin
  17. rash — a series
  18. chip — to eat
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. can — a tin
  21. row — to paddle
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. charge — in control

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