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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. tear — from crying
  3. ground — a position
  4. charge — a price
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. cap — a hat
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. net — in sport
  9. net — for catching
  10. cap — a lid
  11. charge — in control
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. tear — to rip
  14. cap — of ice
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. charge — electricity
  17. ground — the earth
  18. ground — crushed
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. tear — from crying
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. net — after costs
  23. rash — a series
  24. pass — a permit

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