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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 116 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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. season — in sport
  3. cell — in biology
  4. bound — certain
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. charge — electricity
  7. charge — in control
  8. land — to come down
  9. charge — a price
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. land — ground
  13. root — of a plant
  14. root — of a word
  15. land — a country
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. bound — tied together
  18. season — of the year
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. root — the cause
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. bound — obliged
  24. cell — a phone

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