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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. charge — a price
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. charge — electricity
  5. cap — a lid
  6. cap — a hat
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. cap — of ice
  9. can — to be able to
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. fine — all right
  12. net — after costs
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. can — a tin
  16. net — in sport
  17. cell — a phone
  18. can — a tin
  19. charge — in control
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. net — for catching
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. cell — in biology
  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