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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: ball · suit · charge · fall · object · cold · face · race

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. suit — to fit
  3. cold — not warm
  4. race — humankind
  5. fall — to drop
  6. race — the arms race
  7. object — an aim
  8. charge — a price
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. ball — a great time
  11. cold — an illness
  12. race — a contest
  13. face — to confront
  14. suit — in cards
  15. face — to point toward
  16. suit — clothes
  17. charge — electricity
  18. face — part of the head
  19. ball — a dance
  20. fall — the season
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. object — a thing
  23. object — to protest
  24. charge — in control

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