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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. charge — in control
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. key — in music
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. staff — a stick
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. charge — a price
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. charge — electricity
  11. court — for sport
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. hand — help
  14. key — the most important part
  15. court — of law
  16. key — for a lock
  17. staff — employees
  18. court — of a king
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. staff — employees
  22. wind — moving air
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. hand — in cards

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