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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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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: snap · cell · lash · march · race · bound · charge · bear

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. race — the arms race
  3. cell — a phone
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. bound — tied together
  6. bound — obliged
  7. charge — in control
  8. race — a contest
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. bear — the animal
  13. charge — a price
  14. bound — certain
  15. cell — in biology
  16. bear — the animal
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. march — music
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. march — the month
  21. race — humankind
  22. snap — to click
  23. march — the month
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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