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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. rash — a series
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. bass — the fish
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. charge — electricity
  9. kid — child
  10. date — the fruit
  11. bass — low music
  12. hand — in cards
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. fall — to drop
  15. hand — help
  16. charge — a price
  17. charge — in control
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. fall — the season
  21. kid — to tease
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. fall — to drop
  24. rash — hasty

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