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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: fork · chest · charge · object · bowl · lean · hand · cold

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. lean — thin
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. cold — an illness
  7. object — a thing
  8. chest — of your body
  9. cold — not warm
  10. lean — to bend
  11. hand — in cards
  12. chest — a box
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. charge — in control
  15. object — an aim
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. charge — electricity
  18. fork — in a road
  19. hand — help
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. charge — a price
  24. chest — of your body

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