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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. key — for a lock
  5. deal — to handle
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. cell — in biology
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. key — in music
  11. charge — a price
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. rush — hurry
  14. wound — an injury
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. charge — in control
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. mine — for digging
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. wound — an injury
  22. key — the most important part
  23. cell — a phone
  24. cell — in a prison

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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