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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. scale — size or range
  5. rash — a series
  6. charge — a price
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. rash — hasty
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. deal — to handle
  11. cold — an illness
  12. charge — in control
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. net — in sport
  15. bore — to drill
  16. cold — not warm
  17. charge — electricity
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. scale — in music
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. net — after costs
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. bore — to tire

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