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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. charge — electricity
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fine — all right
  5. wind — moving air
  6. date — the fruit
  7. fall — to drop
  8. kid — child
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. charge — a price
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. rush — hurry
  16. wound — an injury
  17. fall — the season
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. charge — in control
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. fine — high quality
  23. wound — an injury
  24. kid — to tease

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