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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. rush — hurry
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. cell — in biology
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. staff — a stick
  9. pitch — completely
  10. hand — in cards
  11. staff — employees
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. tube — the underground
  15. tube — a container
  16. hand — help
  17. rash — hasty
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. staff — employees
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. cell — a phone
  24. cell — in a prison

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