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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. vault — a safe
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. fine — all right
  12. cell — in biology
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. charge — in control
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. charge — a price
  18. cell — a phone
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. bat — the animal
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. wake — a trail
  24. fine — high quality

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