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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: deal · cabinet · cold · pass · charge · prune · chest · sharp

  1. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. cold — an illness
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. prune — to trim
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. chest — of your body
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. chest — of your body
  11. sharp — clever
  12. prune — to trim
  13. charge — a price
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. charge — electricity
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. deal — to handle
  21. charge — in control
  22. chest — a box
  23. pass — a permit
  24. cold — not warm

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