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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. fall — to drop
  3. rash — hasty
  4. bound — tied together
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. staff — employees
  7. bound — certain
  8. staff — employees
  9. charge — a price
  10. bound — obliged
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. cap — a hat
  13. kick — in football
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. charge — electricity
  16. cap — a lid
  17. rash — a series
  18. staff — a stick
  19. charge — in control
  20. cap — of ice
  21. fall — to drop
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. snap — to click

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