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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. hand — help
  4. cold — an illness
  5. charge — a price
  6. shower — rain
  7. chip — to eat
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. charge — in control
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. charge — electricity
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. vault — a safe
  14. shower — to wash
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. press — a publisher
  18. hand — in cards
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. cold — not warm
  21. chip — for betting
  22. press — newspapers
  23. deal — to handle
  24. press — to push

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