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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: rest · fine · hide · game · tube · cold · saw · charge

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. charge — electricity
  4. charge — a price
  5. game — a match
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — the tool
  9. cold — an illness
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. rest — what's left
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. rest — a break
  14. fine — high quality
  15. cold — not warm
  16. rest — what's left
  17. fine — all right
  18. tube — the underground
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. tube — a container
  23. charge — in control
  24. fine — a penalty

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