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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 116 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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. fall — the season
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. charge — a price
  6. chair — a leader
  7. fall — to drop
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. vault — a safe
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. rule — government
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. mine — for digging
  22. charge — in control
  23. charge — electricity
  24. fall — to drop

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