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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. charge — a price
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fall — to drop
  6. kid — child
  7. fine — high quality
  8. fine — all right
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. charge — electricity
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. scale — size or range
  14. kid — to tease
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. cap — a lid
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. cap — a hat
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. cap — of ice
  23. scale — in music
  24. fall — the season

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