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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 tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. charge — electricity
  3. tube — a container
  4. season — in sport
  5. march — music
  6. charge — in control
  7. current — electric
  8. current — happening now
  9. fall — the season
  10. march — the month
  11. tube — the underground
  12. foot — a measure
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. fall — to drop
  17. march — the month
  18. fall — to drop
  19. season — of the year
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. current — of water
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. pitcher — a jug

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