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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. bound — obliged
  3. squash — to crush
  4. board — to get on
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. suit — clothes
  7. cold — an illness
  8. race — humankind
  9. suit — in cards
  10. squash — the sport
  11. race — the arms race
  12. bound — tied together
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. suit — to fit
  16. cold — not warm
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. charge — a price
  20. bound — certain
  21. charge — in control
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. board — a committee
  24. race — a contest

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