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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 116 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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  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 — a price
  2. cap — a hat
  3. charge — electricity
  4. cap — a lid
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. fall — to drop
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. track — to keep track
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. mug — a cup
  11. last — final
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. track — a song
  14. last — finally
  15. stem — to come from
  16. mug — to rob
  17. cap — of ice
  18. fall — the season
  19. last — to go on
  20. chair — a leader
  21. fall — to drop
  22. track — a path
  23. mug — a face
  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