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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  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. stand — for spectators
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. stand — to bear
  5. cold — not warm
  6. squash — to crush
  7. track — to keep track
  8. charge — in control
  9. cold — an illness
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. track — a path
  12. charge — a price
  13. bat — the animal
  14. cap — of ice
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. track — a song
  19. squash — the sport
  20. cap — a hat
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. cap — a lid
  23. calf — of the leg
  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