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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 124 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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. rest — what's left
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. charge — a price
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. charge — in control
  14. wound — an injury
  15. roll — a list
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. rest — what's left
  18. roll — a cake
  19. wound — an injury
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. rest — a break
  23. bat — the animal
  24. lash — an eyelash

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