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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. wake — a trail
  4. rest — a break
  5. charge — a price
  6. saw — the tool
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. rest — what's left
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. rest — what's left
  13. saw — the tool
  14. charge — in control
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. hand — in cards
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. current — of water
  19. current — electric
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. current — happening now
  24. hand — help

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