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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. shower — to wash
  3. race — a contest
  4. pound — a weight
  5. rash — a series
  6. rash — hasty
  7. cold — not warm
  8. charge — a price
  9. race — humankind
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. race — the arms race
  13. dip — to sink
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. cold — an illness
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. charge — electricity
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. shower — rain
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. dip — a sauce

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