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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: shower · mark · wound · can · cold · last · charge · key

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — an injury
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. cold — not warm
  7. key — in music
  8. shower — rain
  9. last — to go on
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. charge — electricity
  12. can — a tin
  13. key — the most important part
  14. charge — a price
  15. last — finally
  16. mark — a grade
  17. cold — an illness
  18. last — final
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. can — a tin
  21. shower — to wash
  22. mark — a trace
  23. key — for a lock
  24. can — to be able to

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