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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. charge — electricity
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. root — of a word
  5. cold — not warm
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. cold — an illness
  8. root — the cause
  9. cell — in biology
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. bank — for money
  12. root — of a plant
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. bank — for money
  15. charge — in control
  16. bank — of a river
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. charge — a price
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. cell — a phone
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. snap — to click
  24. leaves — to go away

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