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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. spring — the season
  3. shower — to wash
  4. charge — in control
  5. spring — a coil
  6. shower — rain
  7. mine — for digging
  8. charge — electricity
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. rush — hurry
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. cue — a signal
  17. cue — a hint
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. cue — for pool
  20. spring — of water
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. cold — not warm
  23. cold — an illness
  24. temple — side of the head

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