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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 120 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 tickets are free of ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. net — for catching
  3. object — a thing
  4. object — an aim
  5. net — in sport
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. shower — rain
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. field — farmland
  10. bass — low music
  11. charge — in control
  12. bass — the fish
  13. tube — a container
  14. tube — the underground
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. shower — to wash
  17. object — to protest
  18. field — for sport
  19. net — after costs
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. charge — electricity
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. field — a subject
  24. lash — an eyelash

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