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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. fall — the season
  3. charge — electricity
  4. cell — in biology
  5. charge — in control
  6. spell — letters
  7. shower — rain
  8. spell — magic
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. band — a ring
  12. cell — a phone
  13. band — a music group
  14. dip — to sink
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. charge — a price
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — to drop
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. deal — to handle
  24. shower — to wash

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