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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. mine — for digging
  3. charge — in control
  4. rash — hasty
  5. lean — to bend
  6. charge — electricity
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. cap — a hat
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. lean — thin
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. rash — a series
  17. last — final
  18. cap — a lid
  19. cap — of ice
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. last — finally
  22. last — to go on
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. fan — to cool the air

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