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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. roll — a cake
  4. toast — bread
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. rush — hurry
  7. file — a tool
  8. charge — in control
  9. charge — electricity
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. tear — to rip
  12. tear — from crying
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. roll — a list
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. file — a document
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. deal — to handle
  21. charge — a price
  22. tear — from crying
  23. file — a line of people
  24. roll — on a roll

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