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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. pop — to visit
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. charge — a price
  5. dip — to sink
  6. pop — music
  7. cold — an illness
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. row — a line
  11. charge — in control
  12. stand — to bear
  13. row — to paddle
  14. drill — a practice
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. pop — soda
  17. cold — not warm
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. pitch — completely
  23. drill — army training
  24. drill — the tool

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