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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. charge — electricity
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. chest — of your body
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. charge — in control
  9. rash — a series
  10. charge — a price
  11. chest — a box
  12. scale — in music
  13. suit — clothes
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. scale — size or range
  16. band — a ring
  17. suit — to fit
  18. suit — in cards
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. band — a music group
  21. chest — of your body
  22. mine — for digging
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. rash — hasty

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