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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. charge — electricity
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. rule — government
  6. charge — a price
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. hand — help
  9. tube — the underground
  10. cell — in biology
  11. cell — a phone
  12. ground — the earth
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. tube — a container
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. charge — in control
  17. ground — a position
  18. rule — a law
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. hand — in cards
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. bowl — to roll

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