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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. rash — hasty
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. roll — a list
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. kid — child
  9. kid — to tease
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. roll — a cake
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. charge — a price
  15. charge — in control
  16. scale — in music
  17. rash — a series
  18. charge — electricity
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. snap — to click
  24. scale — size or range

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