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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: charge · shower · stand · date · scale · net · rule · fall

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. charge — in control
  3. net — after costs
  4. stand — to bear
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. shower — rain
  7. scale — in music
  8. net — in sport
  9. net — for catching
  10. fall — to drop
  11. shower — to wash
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. rule — a law
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. scale — size or range
  16. fall — to drop
  17. rule — government
  18. fall — the season
  19. charge — a price
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. charge — electricity
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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