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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. cap — a hat
  3. cap — a lid
  4. cap — of ice
  5. chair — a leader
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. race — the arms race
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. mug — to rob
  10. mine — for digging
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. band — a music group
  13. charge — in control
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. charge — a price
  16. band — a ring
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. race — a contest
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — for light
  22. mug — a face
  23. race — humankind
  24. mug — a cup

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