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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. court — for sport
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. board — to get on
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. board — a committee
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. cold — an illness
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. charge — electricity
  12. court — of law
  13. bulb — for light
  14. charge — in control
  15. band — a ring
  16. charge — a price
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. bulb — for light
  19. court — of a king
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. cold — not warm
  22. rule — government
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. rule — a law

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