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

Word bank: wave · rule · deal · mark · charge · straw · ground · cold

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. ground — crushed
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. rule — a law
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. rule — government
  8. charge — a price
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. mark — a trace
  12. ground — the earth
  13. charge — electricity
  14. charge — in control
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. mark — a grade
  18. ground — a position
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. cold — not warm
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. deal — to handle
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. cold — an illness

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