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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. hand — help
  3. charge — in control
  4. present — there
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. suit — to fit
  7. land — a country
  8. present — the time now
  9. race — the arms race
  10. fall — to drop
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. suit — in cards
  13. fall — the season
  14. present — a gift
  15. race — a contest
  16. fall — to drop
  17. race — humankind
  18. land — to come down
  19. charge — a price
  20. band — a music group
  21. band — a ring
  22. charge — electricity
  23. land — ground
  24. suit — clothes

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