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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  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. charge — electricity
  2. rule — government
  3. cold — not warm
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. race — a contest
  8. branch — a division
  9. rule — a law
  10. ground — crushed
  11. present — there
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. present — a gift
  14. race — humankind
  15. present — the time now
  16. ground — the earth
  17. ground — a position
  18. charge — a price
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. race — the arms race
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. cold — an illness
  23. temple — a place of worship
  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