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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. shower — to wash
  4. charge — a price
  5. charge — electricity
  6. hand — help
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. charge — in control
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — what's left
  11. hand — in cards
  12. cold — an illness
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. toast — bread
  17. current — of water
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. current — happening now
  20. shower — rain
  21. current — electric
  22. stand — to bear
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. cold — not warm

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