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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. charge — electricity
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. roll — a cake
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. kick — in football
  7. roll — a list
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. rash — hasty
  10. charge — in control
  11. mine — for digging
  12. rash — a series
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — a tin
  16. scale — in music
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. can — to be able to
  22. charge — a price
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. scale — for weighing

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