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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 120 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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. charge — a price
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. charge — electricity
  6. bulb — for light
  7. track — a path
  8. tear — from crying
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. cold — not warm
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. cold — an illness
  14. bulb — for light
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. lean — to bend
  17. track — a song
  18. deal — to handle
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. charge — in control
  21. track — to keep track
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — to rip

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