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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. mate — a partner
  4. charge — in control
  5. mate — to breed
  6. rule — a law
  7. season — of the year
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. season — in sport
  10. rule — government
  11. bear — the animal
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. charge — a price
  15. mine — for digging
  16. bear — the animal
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. mate — a friend

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