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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. charge — electricity
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. can — to be able to
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. charge — a price
  7. cell — a phone
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. key — for a lock
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. bear — the animal
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. shower — rain
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. can — a tin
  17. key — the most important part
  18. shower — to wash
  19. can — a tin
  20. cell — in biology
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. charge — in control

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