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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 120 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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. charge — electricity
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. mate — a partner
  5. race — a contest
  6. charge — in control
  7. cap — of ice
  8. race — humankind
  9. bear — the animal
  10. swing — to play on
  11. mate — a friend
  12. cap — a hat
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. cap — a lid
  16. charge — a price
  17. mate — to breed
  18. swing — in golf
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. bear — the animal
  22. vault — a safe
  23. race — the arms race
  24. swing — music

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