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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. key — in music
  3. spell — a short time
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. charge — a price
  6. spell — letters
  7. rash — a series
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. bass — low music
  10. bass — the fish
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. pop — soda
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. rash — hasty
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. spell — magic
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. pop — to visit
  19. pop — music
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. key — for a lock
  22. charge — electricity
  23. key — the most important part
  24. charge — in control

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