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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cell · hide · fan · land · charge · kid · arm · pass

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. pass — a permit
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. charge — a price
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. kid — child
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. cell — in biology
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. kid — to tease
  14. land — ground
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. charge — electricity
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. land — to come down
  23. charge — in control
  24. cell — a phone

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