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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rock — music
  3. net — in sport
  4. squash — to crush
  5. rash — hasty
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. chip — to eat
  10. rock — a stone
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. charge — electricity
  13. bound — obliged
  14. rest — a break
  15. net — after costs
  16. net — for catching
  17. rash — a series
  18. charge — a price
  19. bound — certain
  20. squash — the sport
  21. chip — for betting
  22. rest — what's left
  23. charge — in control
  24. bound — tied together

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