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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. charge — a price
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. pop — music
  5. scale — in music
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. pop — soda
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. rash — hasty
  10. field — for sport
  11. row — to paddle
  12. field — a subject
  13. rush — hurry
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. row — a line
  18. scale — size or range
  19. rash — a series
  20. pop — to visit
  21. field — farmland
  22. charge — electricity
  23. charge — in control
  24. nail — for a hammer

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