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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. hand — help
  3. bat — the animal
  4. key — for a lock
  5. cell — in biology
  6. can — a tin
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. kick — in football
  9. key — the most important part
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. charge — in control
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. charge — a price
  15. cell — a phone
  16. key — in music
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. hand — in cards
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. can — to be able to
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. can — a tin
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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