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

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. present — the time now
  4. charge — in control
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. key — for a lock
  8. fall — the season
  9. wound — an injury
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. present — there
  12. charge — a price
  13. race — a contest
  14. wound — an injury
  15. key — the most important part
  16. present — a gift
  17. key — in music
  18. race — humankind
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. fall — to drop
  21. race — the arms race
  22. mine — for digging
  23. fall — to drop
  24. coach — a trainer

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