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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. cell — a phone
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. hand — help
  6. charge — electricity
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. charge — a price
  9. key — in music
  10. key — for a lock
  11. row — to paddle
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. key — the most important part
  14. bat — the animal
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. mine — for digging
  17. cell — in biology
  18. row — a line
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. charge — in control
  22. stand — to bear
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. hand — in cards

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