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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. rest — a break
  4. cell — in biology
  5. rest — what's left
  6. spell — a short time
  7. rest — what's left
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. charge — in control
  12. rule — a law
  13. spell — letters
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. charge — electricity
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mine — for digging
  18. spell — magic
  19. charge — a price
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. rule — government
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — to trim

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