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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: spell · press · hand · clip · bay · ruler · charge · cold

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. hand — in cards
  3. charge — in control
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. clip — to cut
  7. press — a publisher
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. press — to push
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. hand — help
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. charge — electricity
  14. spell — letters
  15. clip — a video
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. charge — a price
  18. press — newspapers
  19. clip — for paper
  20. cold — not warm
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. cold — an illness
  24. spell — magic

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