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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 120 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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  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. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. charge — electricity
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. ground — the earth
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. charge — in control
  7. band — a music group
  8. band — a ring
  9. rule — a law
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. cell — a phone
  12. rule — government
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. ground — crushed
  17. wound — an injury
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. ground — a position
  20. charge — a price
  21. dip — to sink
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. wound — an injury
  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