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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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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. fall — to drop
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. rest — a break
  7. race — a contest
  8. row — to paddle
  9. charge — a price
  10. race — the arms race
  11. stem — to come from
  12. track — a song
  13. fall — the season
  14. race — humankind
  15. rule — government
  16. rest — what's left
  17. track — a path
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. fall — to drop
  20. row — a line
  21. rule — a law
  22. charge — in control
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. track — to keep track

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