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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. charge — a price
  3. pass — a permit
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. bulb — for light
  6. staff — employees
  7. tear — from crying
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. snap — to click
  10. staff — a stick
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. stem — to come from
  14. sharp — clever
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. staff — employees
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — to rip
  21. charge — electricity
  22. bulb — for light
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. stem — a stem cell

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