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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. root — of a word
  5. charge — electricity
  6. kick — in football
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. rash — hasty
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. root — of a plant
  14. root — the cause
  15. dip — to sink
  16. charge — a price
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. charge — in control
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. rash — a series
  23. wind — moving air
  24. mouse — the animal

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