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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. charge — electricity
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. rush — hurry
  6. cell — in biology
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. bulb — for light
  11. court — for sport
  12. charge — in control
  13. swing — to play on
  14. cell — a phone
  15. court — of law
  16. swing — in golf
  17. shower — to wash
  18. stand — to bear
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. swing — music
  21. bulb — for light
  22. charge — a price
  23. court — of a king
  24. shower — rain

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