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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. charge — in control
  3. rash — hasty
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. staff — employees
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. staff — a stick
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. charge — a price
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. staff — employees
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. root — of a word
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. rash — a series
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. root — of a plant
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. root — the cause
  24. bat — the animal

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