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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. rash — hasty
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. rush — hurry
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. capital — money
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. snap — to click
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. capital — a city
  13. chair — a leader
  14. firm — steady
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. firm — decided
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. firm — a company
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. capital — a big letter

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