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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: cold · pop · arm · charge · object · lie · mark · tube

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. cold — an illness
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. pop — music
  9. pop — to visit
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. mark — a grade
  13. tube — a container
  14. lie — to recline
  15. pop — soda
  16. tube — the underground
  17. object — an aim
  18. charge — a price
  19. object — to protest
  20. object — a thing
  21. mark — a trace
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. charge — electricity
  24. charge — in control

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