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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. charge — electricity
  4. stem — to come from
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. pass — a permit
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. charge — in control
  11. mine — for digging
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. rule — government
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. wind — moving air
  17. charge — a price
  18. rule — a law
  19. fine — high quality
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. stem — a stem cell

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