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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 tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. charge — a price
  3. drill — army training
  4. charge — in control
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. branch — a division
  11. ground — a position
  12. ground — the earth
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. rash — hasty
  15. deal — to handle
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. charge — electricity
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. drill — a practice
  20. ground — crushed
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. drill — the tool
  24. branch — of a bank

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