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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. mine — for digging
  3. face — to point toward
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. fall — to drop
  7. cue — for pool
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. spell — letters
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. charge — electricity
  14. cue — a signal
  15. spell — magic
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — the season
  18. face — to confront
  19. cue — a hint
  20. spell — a short time
  21. rush — hurry
  22. face — part of the head
  23. snap — to click
  24. charge — in control

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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