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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. bear — the animal
  10. charge — a price
  11. spell — a short time
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. spell — magic
  14. cold — not warm
  15. charge — in control
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. spell — letters
  18. charge — electricity
  19. fine — high quality
  20. cold — an illness
  21. fine — all right
  22. cell — a phone
  23. cell — in biology
  24. kick — in football

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