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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. net — after costs
  3. charge — electricity
  4. rash — hasty
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. wound — an injury
  7. net — for catching
  8. rock — music
  9. court — of a king
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. court — of law
  12. rash — a series
  13. charge — a price
  14. wound — an injury
  15. fine — high quality
  16. row — a line
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. net — in sport
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. fine — all right
  21. rock — a stone
  22. row — to paddle
  23. court — for sport
  24. rock — to move gently

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