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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. land — to come down
  3. board — to get on
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. land — a country
  7. spring — of water
  8. land — ground
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. board — a committee
  15. charge — in control
  16. bat — the animal
  17. cell — a phone
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. cell — in biology
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. spring — a coil
  22. charge — a price
  23. spring — the season
  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