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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: charge · fall · ground · deal · mine · fine · rock · sharp

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  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. mine — an explosive
  2. fall — to drop
  3. charge — electricity
  4. ground — crushed
  5. charge — a price
  6. charge — in control
  7. fall — to drop
  8. sharp — clever
  9. fall — the season
  10. rock — music
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. ground — a position
  15. fine — all right
  16. mine — for digging
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. rock — a stone
  20. deal — to handle
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. ground — the earth
  23. fine — a penalty
  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