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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. wound — an injury
  4. firm — decided
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. charge — electricity
  10. cold — an illness
  11. cold — not warm
  12. root — of a plant
  13. firm — steady
  14. fine — all right
  15. fine — high quality
  16. shower — rain
  17. shower — to wash
  18. root — of a word
  19. root — the cause
  20. wound — an injury
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. wake — a trail
  23. charge — a price
  24. firm — a company

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