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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. charge — a price
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. press — to push
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. cold — not warm
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. rash — a series
  11. bound — obliged
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. charge — in control
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. cold — an illness
  16. rash — hasty
  17. bound — certain
  18. bound — tied together
  19. press — newspapers
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. press — a publisher
  22. date — the fruit
  23. snap — to click
  24. charge — electricity

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