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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.

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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. mate — to breed
  3. mug — a cup
  4. tear — to rip
  5. mug — to rob
  6. land — to come down
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. degree — temperature
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. wake — a trail
  11. face — part of the head
  12. degree — an amount
  13. face — to confront
  14. tear — from crying
  15. charge — a price
  16. charge — electricity
  17. mate — a partner
  18. tear — from crying
  19. land — a country
  20. mug — a face
  21. land — ground
  22. face — to point toward
  23. degree — from a university
  24. charge — in control

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