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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. charge — a price
  3. net — in sport
  4. rule — a law
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. rule — government
  8. pass — a permit
  9. tube — the underground
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. sharp — clever
  12. net — for catching
  13. tube — a container
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. net — after costs
  16. vault — a safe
  17. charge — electricity
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. mine — for digging
  23. charge — in control
  24. mine — belonging to me

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