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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.

Words on the sheet
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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. cell — a phone
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. land — to come down
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. land — a country
  8. race — the arms race
  9. land — ground
  10. race — humankind
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. cell — in biology
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bark — to shout
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. charge — in control
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. charge — a price
  22. race — a contest
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. vault — a safe

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