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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. charge — electricity
  4. mug — a face
  5. race — a contest
  6. staff — employees
  7. rash — hasty
  8. march — music
  9. lean — thin
  10. charge — a price
  11. lean — to bend
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. march — the month
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. shower — to wash
  16. mug — a cup
  17. race — humankind
  18. rash — a series
  19. charge — in control
  20. race — the arms race
  21. march — the month
  22. shower — rain
  23. staff — employees
  24. staff — a stick

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