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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. fall — to drop
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. rest — a break
  7. fall — the season
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. charge — electricity
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. wake — a trail
  14. rest — what's left
  15. charge — in control
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. rest — what's left
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. charge — a price
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. fine — all right
  24. fine — high quality

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