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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. land — a country
  4. track — a song
  5. charge — a price
  6. face — to point toward
  7. last — final
  8. land — to come down
  9. track — to keep track
  10. cap — of ice
  11. lie — to recline
  12. face — to confront
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. cap — a hat
  15. track — a path
  16. face — part of the head
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. land — ground
  19. charge — in control
  20. last — finally
  21. cap — a lid
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. last — to go on
  24. stem — to come from

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