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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 120 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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. bank — of a river
  3. bank — for money
  4. charge — a price
  5. rest — what's left
  6. charge — in control
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. charge — electricity
  14. swing — to play on
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. row — a line
  17. bank — for money
  18. rush — hurry
  19. swing — in golf
  20. row — to paddle
  21. game — wild animals
  22. rest — a break
  23. game — a match
  24. swing — music

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