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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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468
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: mug · cell · deal · fall · season · game · charge · rule

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. deal — to handle
  5. mug — a cup
  6. fall — the season
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. rule — a law
  9. rule — government
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. charge — a price
  12. fall — to drop
  13. game — a match
  14. game — wild animals
  15. cell — a phone
  16. season — in sport
  17. cell — in biology
  18. mug — a face
  19. mug — to rob
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. charge — electricity
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. season — of the year
  24. charge — in control

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