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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. charge — in control
  4. rash — hasty
  5. spell — letters
  6. sharp — clever
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. charge — electricity
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. mine — for digging
  11. hand — in cards
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. rule — government
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. rash — a series
  17. charge — a price
  18. rule — a law
  19. hand — help
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. spell — a short time
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. fan — a supporter

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