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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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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: can · squash · chest · cold · tube · mate · charge · rule

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. cold — an illness
  4. chest — a box
  5. charge — electricity
  6. charge — in control
  7. squash — to crush
  8. tube — the underground
  9. rule — government
  10. can — to be able to
  11. mate — a friend
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. mate — to breed
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — of your body
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. tube — a container
  18. can — a tin
  19. mate — a partner
  20. squash — the sport
  21. charge — a price
  22. can — a tin
  23. cold — not warm
  24. rule — a law

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