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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. stem — to come from
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. charge — a price
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. club — for dancing
  7. mine — for digging
  8. wind — moving air
  9. club — for golf
  10. wind — moving air
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. club — a group
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. charge — electricity
  15. mate — a friend
  16. mate — to breed
  17. mate — a partner
  18. mine — an explosive

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