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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. land — to come down
  3. mark — a trace
  4. kid — to tease
  5. mark — a grade
  6. fall — to drop
  7. charge — electricity
  8. land — a country
  9. fall — to drop
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. charge — in control
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. kid — child
  15. sharp — clever
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. rule — government
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. rule — a law
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. land — ground
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. charge — a price
  24. mark — to pay attention

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