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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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468
Word bank
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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. rest — what's left
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. chest — of your body
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. plane — a tool
  7. charge — in control
  8. charge — a price
  9. cue — for pool
  10. fine — all right
  11. cue — a hint
  12. cold — an illness
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. chest — a box
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. chest — of your body
  17. rest — what's left
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. charge — electricity
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. fine — high quality
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. cue — a signal
  24. rest — a break

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