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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  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. rash — on the skin
  2. charge — electricity
  3. ball — a dance
  4. rash — a series
  5. ball — a great time
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. season — in sport
  8. march — music
  9. suit — clothes
  10. rash — hasty
  11. charge — a price
  12. season — of the year
  13. row — a line
  14. march — the month
  15. row — to paddle
  16. suit — to fit
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. kid — child
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. suit — in cards
  21. march — the month
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. kid — to tease
  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