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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.

Make a worksheet

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: bowl · cell · mine · land · charge · bear · jam · kid

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  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. land — to come down
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. land — ground
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. cell — in biology
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. bear — the animal
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. charge — a price
  12. land — a country
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. bear — the animal
  16. mine — for digging
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. charge — electricity
  20. charge — in control
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. kid — child
  23. kid — to tease
  24. cell — a phone

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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