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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. file — a tool
  3. charge — a price
  4. cold — an illness
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. charge — in control
  7. craft — boats
  8. file — a document
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. dip — to sink
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. charge — electricity
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. cold — not warm
  16. craft — a skill
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. sharp — clever
  20. file — a line of people
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. lean — to bend

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