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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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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: deal · rock · charge · track · mine · saw · cold · snap

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. cold — not warm
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. snap — to click
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. charge — a price
  7. cold — an illness
  8. rock — music
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. saw — the tool
  11. rock — a stone
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. track — a song
  14. mine — for digging
  15. charge — electricity
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. charge — in control
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. track — to keep track
  21. saw — the tool
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. track — a path

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