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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. charge — a price
  3. cold — an illness
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. land — ground
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. present — the time now
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. cold — not warm
  13. rash — a series
  14. pass — a permit
  15. present — there
  16. land — to come down
  17. land — a country
  18. bark — to shout
  19. charge — in control
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. rash — hasty
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. present — a gift

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