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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 116 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 tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. kid — child
  4. lean — to bend
  5. charge — electricity
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. deal — to handle
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. charge — in control
  13. kid — to tease
  14. bear — the animal
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. cold — an illness
  17. lean — thin
  18. cold — not warm
  19. stem — to come from
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. bear — the animal
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. pitcher — a jug

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