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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. charge — electricity
  3. march — the month
  4. saw — the tool
  5. charge — in control
  6. cell — a phone
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. row — a line
  9. row — to paddle
  10. march — the month
  11. march — music
  12. rule — a law
  13. season — of the year
  14. cell — in biology
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. charge — a price
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. rule — government
  22. season — in sport
  23. saw — the tool
  24. season — to add flavour

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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