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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. cold — an illness
  5. firm — a company
  6. charge — a price
  7. lie — to recline
  8. staff — employees
  9. cell — a phone
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. firm — steady
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. scale — in music
  15. scale — size or range
  16. cell — in biology
  17. charge — in control
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. staff — a stick
  21. cold — not warm
  22. staff — employees
  23. firm — decided
  24. cabinet — ministers

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