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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. last — to go on
  5. stem — to come from
  6. bass — the fish
  7. charge — in control
  8. file — a document
  9. file — a line of people
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. race — the arms race
  12. race — humankind
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. race — a contest
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bass — low music
  19. last — finally
  20. charge — electricity
  21. wound — an injury
  22. last — final
  23. file — a tool
  24. stem — a stem cell

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