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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. charge — in control
  3. swing — in golf
  4. wound — an injury
  5. scale — size or range
  6. fall — the season
  7. rule — a law
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. spring — the season
  10. fall — to drop
  11. spring — a coil
  12. rule — government
  13. scale — in music
  14. fall — to drop
  15. charge — a price
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. spring — of water
  18. charge — electricity
  19. swing — music
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. swing — to play on

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