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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. charge — in control
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. rush — hurry
  7. object — a thing
  8. charge — electricity
  9. cold — not warm
  10. cold — an illness
  11. charge — a price
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. prune — to trim
  14. hand — help
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. object — to protest
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. prune — to trim
  22. hand — in cards
  23. shower — rain
  24. object — an aim

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