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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 120 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: root · fine · charge · cold · lean · pit · spell · last

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. lean — thin
  3. cold — not warm
  4. charge — a price
  5. fine — high quality
  6. pit — a hole
  7. spell — a short time
  8. last — final
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. spell — magic
  11. charge — in control
  12. root — the cause
  13. charge — electricity
  14. last — finally
  15. cold — an illness
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. root — of a plant
  18. spell — letters
  19. root — of a word
  20. last — to go on
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. lean — to bend
  23. pit — in a race
  24. fine — all right

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