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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. present — a gift
  3. charge — a price
  4. swing — to play on
  5. swing — in golf
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. spring — a coil
  8. present — there
  9. charge — electricity
  10. rash — hasty
  11. swing — music
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. scale — in music
  14. track — a path
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. charge — in control
  17. track — a song
  18. scale — size or range
  19. present — the time now
  20. chip — to eat
  21. track — to keep track
  22. chip — for betting
  23. spring — the season
  24. spring — of water

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