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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  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. bowl — to roll
  2. hand — help
  3. current — happening now
  4. current — of water
  5. cap — a lid
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. hand — in cards
  8. fall — to drop
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. cap — a hat
  12. fall — to drop
  13. charge — in control
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. charge — electricity
  16. fall — the season
  17. cap — of ice
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. charge — a price
  20. stand — to bear
  21. current — electric
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. rule — government
  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