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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. rule — a law
  3. land — to come down
  4. charge — electricity
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. mark — a grade
  7. deal — to handle
  8. charge — a price
  9. branch — a division
  10. saw — the tool
  11. land — a country
  12. rule — government
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. saw — the tool
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. mark — a trace
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. pass — a permit
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. charge — in control
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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