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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: wound · rash · charge · dip · toast · cap · cold · chair

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. wound — an injury
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. cap — of ice
  7. cold — an illness
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. cold — not warm
  10. rash — hasty
  11. dip — to sink
  12. charge — a price
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. toast — bread
  15. wound — an injury
  16. cap — a hat
  17. cap — a lid
  18. rash — a series
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. charge — in control
  21. charge — electricity
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. chair — a leader

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