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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. cell — in biology
  5. stand — to bear
  6. root — of a word
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. root — the cause
  9. bound — certain
  10. row — to paddle
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. plane — a tool
  13. bound — obliged
  14. root — of a plant
  15. charge — in control
  16. row — a line
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. charge — a price
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. cold — not warm
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. cold — an illness
  23. bound — tied together
  24. cell — a phone

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