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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. charge — a price
  3. kid — to tease
  4. charge — in control
  5. rash — a series
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. pop — soda
  8. tear — from crying
  9. pop — music
  10. kid — child
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. charge — electricity
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. rash — hasty
  16. pop — to visit
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. tear — to rip
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. tear — from crying
  21. fork — in a road
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. coach — a trainer

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