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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 120 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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. charge — in control
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — moving air
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. charge — a price
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. rest — what's left
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. dip — to sink
  13. charge — electricity
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. rule — government
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. sharp — clever
  18. bark — to shout
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rule — a law

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