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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 116 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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. land — a country
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. cell — a phone
  6. tube — the underground
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. row — a line
  11. rush — hurry
  12. row — to paddle
  13. land — ground
  14. charge — a price
  15. cell — in biology
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. vault — a safe
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. charge — in control
  21. tube — a container
  22. land — to come down
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. rush — to hurry

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