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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: kid · fall · ruler · charge · fine · spell · chip · rush

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. rush — hurry
  3. spell — magic
  4. kid — child
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. charge — electricity
  7. fall — to drop
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. spell — a short time
  10. chip — for betting
  11. spell — letters
  12. kid — to tease
  13. charge — a price
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. charge — in control
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. chip — to eat
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. fall — the season
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. fine — all right
  24. fine — high quality

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