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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. mug — a face
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. charge — electricity
  5. row — a line
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. charge — in control
  8. root — the cause
  9. mug — to rob
  10. root — of a plant
  11. root — of a word
  12. deal — to handle
  13. cold — not warm
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. mug — a cup
  17. charge — a price
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. vault — a safe
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. row — to paddle
  24. cold — an illness

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