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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. charge — electricity
  4. mate — a partner
  5. degree — from a university
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. mate — to breed
  9. ball — a dance
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. degree — an amount
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. bound — certain
  16. charge — a price
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. degree — temperature
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. mate — a friend
  21. bound — obliged
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. bound — tied together
  24. ball — a great time

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