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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. cell — in biology
  3. cell — a phone
  4. can — to be able to
  5. board — a committee
  6. snap — to click
  7. charge — in control
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. date — the fruit
  11. degree — an amount
  12. shower — to wash
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. shower — rain
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. degree — from a university
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. board — to get on
  21. degree — temperature
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — a tin
  24. charge — electricity

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