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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: spell · charge · net · last · sharp · cell · clip · cap

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  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. sharp — clever
  2. clip — a video
  3. clip — to cut
  4. cap — of ice
  5. charge — a price
  6. last — finally
  7. cap — a hat
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. cell — in biology
  10. clip — for paper
  11. last — final
  12. charge — in control
  13. spell — a short time
  14. net — for catching
  15. spell — magic
  16. net — in sport
  17. charge — electricity
  18. cap — a lid
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. last — to go on
  21. spell — letters
  22. net — after costs
  23. sharp — exactly
  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