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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: staff · spell · tear · chest · cold · toast · hide · charge

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. charge — a price
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. staff — a stick
  5. tear — from crying
  6. chest — a box
  7. spell — a short time
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. charge — electricity
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. tear — from crying
  12. cold — an illness
  13. staff — employees
  14. charge — in control
  15. chest — of your body
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. spell — letters
  18. chest — of your body
  19. spell — magic
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. tear — to rip
  22. cold — not warm
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. toast — bread

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