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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 can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. fall — the season
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. tear — from crying
  5. net — in sport
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. rest — what's left
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. bass — the fish
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. net — after costs
  13. fall — to drop
  14. charge — a price
  15. fall — to drop
  16. net — for catching
  17. tear — from crying
  18. dip — to sink
  19. charge — in control
  20. rest — a break
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. bass — low music
  23. rest — what's left
  24. tear — to rip

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