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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: charge · rest · hide · cold · fork · rash · pass · jam

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. charge — a price
  5. charge — electricity
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. charge — in control
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. fork — in a road
  11. rash — hasty
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rest — a break
  15. cold — not warm
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. pass — a permit
  20. rest — what's left
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. rash — a series
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. fork — a garden tool

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