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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. charge — in control
  3. march — the month
  4. march — music
  5. root — of a word
  6. charge — a price
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. march — the month
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. board — a committee
  11. saw — the tool
  12. board — to get on
  13. net — after costs
  14. net — for catching
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. root — of a plant
  17. stand — to bear
  18. cold — not warm
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. root — the cause
  21. saw — the tool
  22. net — in sport
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. cold — an illness

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