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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. net — in sport
  4. rock — a stone
  5. race — humankind
  6. charge — in control
  7. staff — a stick
  8. court — for sport
  9. race — the arms race
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. net — after costs
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. wind — moving air
  15. court — of law
  16. race — a contest
  17. rock — music
  18. staff — employees
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. net — for catching
  21. court — of a king
  22. charge — a price
  23. wind — moving air
  24. staff — employees

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