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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: toast · press · cold · fall · tube · kick · sharp · charge

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. toast — bread
  3. cold — an illness
  4. tube — the underground
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fall — to drop
  8. cold — not warm
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. press — a publisher
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. charge — electricity
  15. charge — a price
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. press — to push
  18. charge — in control
  19. kick — in football
  20. press — newspapers
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. fall — the season
  23. sharp — clever
  24. sharp — with an edge

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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