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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. snap — to click
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. rash — hasty
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bulb — for light
  9. charge — a price
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. rash — a series
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. dip — to sink
  14. charge — in control
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. bulb — for light
  20. shower — to wash
  21. shower — rain
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. rash — on the skin

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