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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. file — a tool
  3. cell — in biology
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. cap — a lid
  6. shower — to wash
  7. file — a line of people
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. clip — to cut
  10. file — a document
  11. clip — for paper
  12. cap — of ice
  13. charge — a price
  14. shower — rain
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. clip — a video
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. pass — a permit
  22. cell — a phone
  23. cap — a hat
  24. charge — in control

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