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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. charge — a price
  3. rash — hasty
  4. face — part of the head
  5. pop — soda
  6. face — to point toward
  7. face — to confront
  8. net — after costs
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. charge — electricity
  12. pop — to visit
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. mug — to rob
  16. pop — music
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. net — for catching
  19. mug — a face
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. net — in sport
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. charge — in control
  24. mug — a cup

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