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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. bound — certain
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. charge — in control
  5. charge — a price
  6. land — to come down
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. bound — tied together
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — a tin
  11. sharp — clever
  12. can — to be able to
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — for light
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. pitch — completely
  17. land — a country
  18. bound — obliged
  19. row — a line
  20. land — ground
  21. row — to paddle
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. sharp — exactly

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