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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. hand — help
  3. drill — army training
  4. mark — a grade
  5. charge — in control
  6. charge — a price
  7. perch — the fish
  8. spell — letters
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. drill — the tool
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. spell — a short time
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. bulb — for light
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. drill — a practice
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. charge — electricity
  19. spell — magic
  20. bulb — for light
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. hand — in cards
  23. mark — a trace
  24. rash — hasty

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