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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 116 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: deal · mark · fall · pop · cold · charge · rest · wind

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. pop — soda
  3. deal — to handle
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. rest — a break
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fall — the season
  8. wind — moving air
  9. pop — music
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. charge — in control
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. mark — a trace
  14. charge — a price
  15. fall — to drop
  16. charge — electricity
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. rest — what's left
  19. cold — not warm
  20. rest — what's left
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. wind — moving air
  23. cold — an illness
  24. pop — to visit

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