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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. bank — of a river
  5. bank — for money
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. charge — a price
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. rule — government
  15. content — happy
  16. rule — a law
  17. charge — in control
  18. pound — a weight
  19. bat — the animal
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. plane — a tool
  22. content — the amount
  23. bank — for money
  24. bat — for baseball

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