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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. foot — a measure
  4. drill — the tool
  5. charge — a price
  6. drill — a practice
  7. roll — a cake
  8. roll — a list
  9. face — part of the head
  10. charge — electricity
  11. charge — in control
  12. cold — an illness
  13. lean — thin
  14. cold — not warm
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. face — to point toward
  20. lean — to bend
  21. drill — army training
  22. face — to confront
  23. pass — a permit
  24. cold — the Cold War

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