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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. stand — to bear
  4. last — to go on
  5. pitch — completely
  6. charge — electricity
  7. wind — moving air
  8. charge — in control
  9. rule — a law
  10. wind — moving air
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. rule — government
  14. last — final
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. saw — the tool
  17. charge — a price
  18. file — a document
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. file — a line of people
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. file — a tool
  24. stand — on your feet

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