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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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468
Word bank
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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 tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. rash — hasty
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. charge — electricity
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. fall — to drop
  9. rest — what's left
  10. fall — to drop
  11. face — part of the head
  12. face — to point toward
  13. deal — to handle
  14. rest — a break
  15. fall — the season
  16. charge — in control
  17. face — to confront
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — from crying
  21. rash — a series
  22. tear — to rip
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. rest — what's left

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