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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. cell — a phone
  6. stand — to bear
  7. wake — a trail
  8. charge — in control
  9. prune — to trim
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. kid — to tease
  12. cell — in biology
  13. prune — to trim
  14. kid — child
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. charge — electricity
  18. cell — in a prison

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