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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. prune — to trim
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. rest — what's left
  5. fine — high quality
  6. rest — a break
  7. charge — a price
  8. prune — to trim
  9. kid — to tease
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. kid — child
  12. rest — what's left
  13. charge — electricity
  14. cold — an illness
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. charge — in control
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. fine — all right
  19. cell — in biology
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. cell — a phone
  22. cold — not warm
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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