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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.

Words on the sheet
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: land · mate · mug · pop · stick · wound · charge · cap

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. charge — electricity
  3. mug — to rob
  4. cap — a hat
  5. pop — soda
  6. land — ground
  7. charge — in control
  8. pop — music
  9. mug — a face
  10. mug — a cup
  11. land — a country
  12. charge — a price
  13. wound — an injury
  14. land — to come down
  15. mate — a friend
  16. cap — of ice
  17. cap — a lid
  18. mate — to breed
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. mate — a partner
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. pop — to visit
  24. wound — an injury

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