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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: rule · sharp · cold · mine · cap · swing · charge · arm

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. sharp — clever
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. cold — not warm
  7. swing — music
  8. cap — a lid
  9. charge — in control
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. cap — of ice
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. rule — government
  14. cap — a hat
  15. rule — a law
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. swing — in golf
  18. mine — for digging
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. charge — electricity
  21. swing — to play on
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. charge — a price
  24. arm — a part of something

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