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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. degree — from a university
  4. hand — help
  5. charge — a price
  6. charge — electricity
  7. rash — hasty
  8. march — music
  9. bear — the animal
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. rash — a series
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. charge — in control
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — to be able to
  17. degree — temperature
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bear — the animal
  20. march — the month
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. degree — an amount
  23. hand — in cards
  24. march — the month

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