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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. pit — in a race
  3. charge — in control
  4. shower — to wash
  5. track — to keep track
  6. fall — the season
  7. drill — a practice
  8. charge — a price
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. chip — to eat
  11. track — a song
  12. pit — a hole
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. season — of the year
  16. fall — to drop
  17. track — a path
  18. fall — to drop
  19. chip — for betting
  20. drill — army training
  21. shower — rain
  22. season — in sport
  23. drill — the tool
  24. season — to add flavour

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