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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. rash — a series
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. game — wild animals
  7. chair — a leader
  8. shower — to wash
  9. rock — music
  10. rock — a stone
  11. game — a match
  12. rash — hasty
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. charge — a price
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. charge — in control
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. snap — to click
  23. shower — rain
  24. charge — electricity

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