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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 ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. root — of a plant
  3. charge — in control
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. rule — a law
  7. mark — a trace
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. row — a line
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. rule — government
  12. cell — a phone
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. mark — a grade
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. content — the amount
  17. charge — a price
  18. row — to paddle
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. root — the cause
  21. root — of a word
  22. date — the fruit
  23. content — happy
  24. cell — in biology

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