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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. charge — a price
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. lie — to recline
  5. chest — of your body
  6. cap — of ice
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. spell — magic
  9. charge — electricity
  10. charge — in control
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. spell — letters
  13. chest — of your body
  14. spell — a short time
  15. staff — a stick
  16. cap — a hat
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. staff — employees
  20. cap — a lid
  21. chest — a box
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. dip — to sink

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