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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. cell — a phone
  4. cap — a lid
  5. hand — in cards
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. cap — a hat
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. rash — hasty
  14. hand — help
  15. cell — in biology
  16. cap — of ice
  17. charge — electricity
  18. charge — a price
  19. rash — a series
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. charge — in control
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. stand — to bear

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