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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. charge — in control
  3. spell — letters
  4. mate — a partner
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. chip — for betting
  9. rash — hasty
  10. charge — a price
  11. capital — a city
  12. chip — to eat
  13. mate — a friend
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. mate — to breed
  16. capital — money
  17. fork — in a road
  18. spell — a short time
  19. charge — electricity
  20. bat — the animal
  21. spell — magic
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. bat — in an idiom

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