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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. spring — of water
  5. pit — a hole
  6. pit — in a race
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. fall — to drop
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. fall — the season
  12. clip — for paper
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. clip — to cut
  15. clip — a video
  16. lie — to recline
  17. charge — in control
  18. branch — a division
  19. spring — the season
  20. spring — a coil
  21. charge — a price
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. fall — to drop
  24. branch — of a bank

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