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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. object — to protest
  3. charge — electricity
  4. object — a thing
  5. hand — help
  6. object — an aim
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. track — a song
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. hand — in cards
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. charge — in control
  13. lean — thin
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. lie — to recline
  16. track — a path
  17. track — to keep track
  18. cold — not warm
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lean — to bend
  21. charge — a price
  22. bark — to shout
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. cold — an illness

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