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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. fork — in a road
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. wind — moving air
  5. tube — a container
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. net — after costs
  8. net — in sport
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. sharp — clever
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. charge — a price
  16. rash — a series
  17. charge — electricity
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. net — for catching
  20. wind — moving air
  21. tube — the underground
  22. rash — hasty
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. sharp — with an edge

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