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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. kid — to tease
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. charge — electricity
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. charge — a price
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. rash — hasty
  11. face — part of the head
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. saw — the tool
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. saw — the tool
  17. face — to confront
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. rash — a series
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. face — to point toward
  22. charge — in control
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. kid — child

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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