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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 124 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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. net — in sport
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. charge — a price
  5. pass — a permit
  6. row — a line
  7. row — to paddle
  8. bound — certain
  9. bound — tied together
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. mine — for digging
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. net — after costs
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. bound — obliged
  18. net — for catching
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. charge — in control
  21. rule — government
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. rule — a law
  24. mine — an explosive

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