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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. charge — a price
  4. hand — help
  5. charge — in control
  6. band — a music group
  7. fine — high quality
  8. fine — all right
  9. hand — in cards
  10. race — humankind
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. suit — to fit
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. race — a contest
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. suit — clothes
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. suit — in cards
  20. band — a ring
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. pitch — completely
  24. race — the arms race

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