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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. chip — to eat
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. band — a music group
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. charge — electricity
  9. shower — to wash
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. tear — to rip
  12. shower — rain
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. chip — for betting
  15. lean — thin
  16. lean — to bend
  17. charge — in control
  18. charge — a price
  19. sharp — clever
  20. tear — from crying
  21. band — a ring
  22. rash — hasty
  23. rash — a series
  24. tear — from crying

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