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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. charge — in control
  3. spring — a coil
  4. rock — a stone
  5. rock — music
  6. charge — electricity
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. spell — letters
  9. staff — employees
  10. spell — a short time
  11. charge — a price
  12. pop — music
  13. pop — to visit
  14. spring — of water
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. spell — magic
  18. staff — employees
  19. pop — soda
  20. cold — not warm
  21. cold — an illness
  22. staff — a stick
  23. spring — the season
  24. cold — the Cold War

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