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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  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. charge — electricity
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. saw — the tool
  4. mug — to rob
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. last — to go on
  7. net — in sport
  8. saw — the tool
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. rule — government
  11. net — for catching
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. net — after costs
  14. content — the amount
  15. rule — a law
  16. mug — a cup
  17. pitch — completely
  18. last — final
  19. last — finally
  20. mug — a face
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. charge — a price
  23. content — happy
  24. charge — in control

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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