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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. mate — a friend
  4. present — the time now
  5. rush — hurry
  6. capital — money
  7. mate — a partner
  8. rash — a series
  9. capital — a city
  10. mate — to breed
  11. charge — electricity
  12. pop — music
  13. charge — in control
  14. rash — hasty
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. stock — shares
  18. charge — a price
  19. present — there
  20. present — a gift
  21. pop — to visit
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. pop — soda
  24. stock — goods

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