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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. bass — low music
  3. rule — a law
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. bass — the fish
  6. race — the arms race
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. race — humankind
  9. rule — government
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. face — to confront
  12. fine — all right
  13. charge — a price
  14. face — part of the head
  15. pass — a permit
  16. date — the fruit
  17. face — to point toward
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. race — a contest
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. charge — in control
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. fine — high quality

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