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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. fall — the season
  3. cell — a phone
  4. charge — electricity
  5. cell — in biology
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. court — for sport
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. charge — in control
  11. cap — a lid
  12. fall — to drop
  13. cap — a hat
  14. court — of a king
  15. fall — to drop
  16. cap — of ice
  17. mine — for digging
  18. snap — to click
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. rush — hurry
  23. court — of law
  24. charge — a price

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