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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. charge — a price
  3. charge — electricity
  4. shower — rain
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. spring — of water
  7. shower — to wash
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. spring — a coil
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. mug — to rob
  16. charge — in control
  17. mug — a face
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. spring — the season
  20. deal — to handle
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. mug — a cup

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