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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. charge — in control
  3. charge — a price
  4. bulb — for light
  5. land — ground
  6. swing — to play on
  7. swing — music
  8. cue — a hint
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. rash — hasty
  11. land — to come down
  12. bulb — for light
  13. march — the month
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. rash — a series
  16. cue — for pool
  17. cue — a signal
  18. march — the month
  19. spring — of water
  20. march — music
  21. charge — electricity
  22. spring — a coil
  23. spring — the season
  24. swing — in golf

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