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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: present · file · lean · cold · charge · ruler

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. file — a tool
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. lean — to bend
  6. charge — electricity
  7. present — there
  8. cold — not warm
  9. cold — an illness
  10. file — a line of people
  11. charge — a price
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. file — a document
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. charge — in control
  16. lean — thin
  17. present — the time now
  18. present — a gift

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