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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. mate — to breed
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. land — ground
  10. wind — moving air
  11. land — to come down
  12. wind — moving air
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. charge — in control
  16. charge — a price
  17. land — a country
  18. fork — in a road
  19. charge — electricity
  20. sharp — clever
  21. mate — a partner
  22. mate — a friend
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. rash — a series

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