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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. land — ground
  3. rash — a series
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. can — a tin
  6. rash — hasty
  7. charge — electricity
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. mate — a partner
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. charge — a price
  13. tube — the underground
  14. can — to be able to
  15. charge — in control
  16. tube — a container
  17. deal — to handle
  18. land — a country
  19. cold — not warm
  20. mate — a friend
  21. cold — an illness
  22. mate — to breed
  23. land — to come down
  24. can — a tin

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