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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. spell — a short time
  6. charge — electricity
  7. perch — the fish
  8. kick — in football
  9. bass — low music
  10. spell — magic
  11. rash — a series
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. rash — hasty
  14. shower — rain
  15. shower — to wash
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. bass — the fish
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. spell — letters
  22. charge — a price
  23. game — a match
  24. game — wild animals

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