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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. cold — not warm
  3. rest — what's left
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. rest — a break
  7. fall — to drop
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. stem — to come from
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. cold — an illness
  15. charge — in control
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — the season
  18. snap — to click
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. charge — a price
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. kick — in football
  23. charge — electricity
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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