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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. object — a thing
  6. fine — all right
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. rash — hasty
  9. row — a line
  10. rash — a series
  11. charge — a price
  12. row — to paddle
  13. hand — in cards
  14. bulb — for light
  15. object — to protest
  16. rush — hurry
  17. charge — in control
  18. fine — high quality
  19. charge — electricity
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. bulb — for light
  24. object — an aim

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