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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. pop — music
  3. charge — a price
  4. toast — bread
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. shower — rain
  7. shower — to wash
  8. cold — an illness
  9. charge — in control
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. cold — not warm
  13. pop — soda
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. charge — electricity
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. deal — to handle
  24. cold — the Cold War

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