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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: dip · lash · charge · rule · mouse · cold · last · cell

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. cell — in biology
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. charge — electricity
  5. cell — a phone
  6. last — final
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. rule — a law
  11. cold — not warm
  12. cold — an illness
  13. charge — in control
  14. last — to go on
  15. dip — to sink
  16. last — finally
  17. rule — government
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. charge — a price

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