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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 116 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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. charge — in control
  3. root — of a word
  4. net — after costs
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. lean — to bend
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. mark — a grade
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. charge — electricity
  12. lean — thin
  13. net — for catching
  14. net — in sport
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. root — the cause
  18. mark — a trace
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. charge — a price
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. bass — the fish
  24. root — of a plant

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