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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. present — a gift
  3. land — ground
  4. last — final
  5. last — to go on
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. present — the time now
  10. land — to come down
  11. charge — a price
  12. shower — rain
  13. bulb — for light
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. last — finally
  16. charge — in control
  17. land — a country
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. present — there
  20. bulb — for light
  21. shower — to wash
  22. pit — a hole
  23. pit — in a race
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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