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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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. tear — from crying
  3. dip — to sink
  4. fall — the season
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. charge — a price
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. file — a tool
  10. charge — electricity
  11. cell — in biology
  12. rest — what's left
  13. file — a line of people
  14. rest — a break
  15. rest — what's left
  16. charge — in control
  17. cell — a phone
  18. tear — to rip
  19. tear — from crying
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — to drop
  24. wave — with your hand

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