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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: fall · race · net · rule · sharp · tube · charge · season

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. charge — electricity
  4. season — of the year
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. race — the arms race
  7. charge — in control
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. charge — a price
  10. rule — government
  11. season — in sport
  12. net — after costs
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. net — for catching
  15. tube — a container
  16. race — humankind
  17. rule — a law
  18. fall — to drop
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. fall — the season
  21. net — in sport
  22. fall — to drop
  23. race — a contest
  24. sharp — clever

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