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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. object — to protest
  4. bat — the animal
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. rash — hasty
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. rush — hurry
  10. charge — in control
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. object — an aim
  13. chip — to eat
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. rash — a series
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. object — a thing
  22. charge — a price
  23. chip — for betting
  24. rash — on the skin

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