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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. tube — a container
  4. suit — to fit
  5. net — after costs
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. net — in sport
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. net — for catching
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. suit — clothes
  14. tube — the underground
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. charge — a price
  17. rash — a series
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. charge — electricity
  20. suit — in cards
  21. ball — a dance
  22. charge — in control
  23. ball — a great time
  24. ball — a round shape

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