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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. charge — a price
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. bear — the animal
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. last — final
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. last — to go on
  12. rush — hurry
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. season — in sport
  16. season — of the year
  17. toast — bread
  18. root — the cause
  19. root — of a word
  20. bear — the animal
  21. last — finally
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. charge — in control
  24. root — of a plant

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