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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. present — a gift
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. charge — a price
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. cold — not warm
  7. present — there
  8. file — a tool
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. lean — to bend
  11. cold — an illness
  12. file — a document
  13. file — a line of people
  14. kick — in football
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. charge — in control
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. lean — thin
  22. sharp — clever
  23. deal — to handle
  24. charge — electricity

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