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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. charge — a price
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. can — to be able to
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. wind — moving air
  9. scale — size or range
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. rash — hasty
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. land — a country
  15. can — a tin
  16. charge — electricity
  17. land — to come down
  18. charge — in control
  19. scale — in music
  20. deal — to handle
  21. land — ground
  22. wind — moving air
  23. can — a tin
  24. rash — a series

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