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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. pop — soda
  3. charge — electricity
  4. deal — to handle
  5. squash — the sport
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. track — a song
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. charge — in control
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. mine — for digging
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. rash — hasty
  15. pop — to visit
  16. squash — to crush
  17. stock — goods
  18. track — to keep track
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. charge — a price
  21. track — a path
  22. stock — shares
  23. pop — music
  24. mine — an explosive

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