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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. charge — in control
  3. charge — electricity
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. race — humankind
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. race — a contest
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. cell — in biology
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. rash — a series
  13. rash — hasty
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. lie — to recline
  16. race — the arms race
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. cell — a phone
  19. fall — to drop
  20. charge — a price
  21. wax — to grow
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — the season
  24. lie — an untruth

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