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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. net — after costs
  3. charge — a price
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. cold — an illness
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. rash — a series
  8. charge — in control
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. shower — to wash
  13. net — for catching
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. rash — hasty
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. cold — not warm
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. charge — electricity
  20. net — in sport
  21. shower — rain
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. mouse — for a computer

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