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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. charge — a price
  4. degree — temperature
  5. march — music
  6. perch — the fish
  7. march — the month
  8. craft — boats
  9. craft — a skill
  10. degree — from a university
  11. deal — to handle
  12. chip — for betting
  13. charge — electricity
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. charge — in control
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. rash — a series
  19. degree — an amount
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. march — the month
  23. chip — to eat
  24. perch — for a bird

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