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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. lean — thin
  3. fall — to drop
  4. charge — electricity
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. hand — help
  7. charge — in control
  8. fall — the season
  9. kid — to tease
  10. suit — to fit
  11. hand — in cards
  12. fall — to drop
  13. kid — child
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. suit — clothes
  16. stem — to come from
  17. rest — what's left
  18. lean — to bend
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. rest — a break
  23. rest — what's left
  24. charge — a price

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