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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 116 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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. charge — electricity
  3. rash — hasty
  4. clip — a video
  5. charge — in control
  6. spell — magic
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. charge — a price
  9. game — wild animals
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. spell — letters
  12. rush — hurry
  13. clip — to cut
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. rash — a series
  16. clip — for paper
  17. spell — a short time
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. suit — to fit
  21. game — a match
  22. suit — clothes
  23. stock — goods
  24. stock — shares

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