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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. scale — size or range
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. ball — a great time
  6. saw — the tool
  7. charge — a price
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. scale — in music
  11. saw — the tool
  12. press — newspapers
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. dip — to sink
  15. charge — in control
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. rash — hasty
  18. press — a publisher
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. charge — electricity
  21. bear — the animal
  22. press — to push
  23. rash — a series
  24. ball — a dance

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