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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. fall — the season
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. hand — in cards
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. mate — a partner
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. mate — to breed
  13. hand — help
  14. charge — electricity
  15. charge — a price
  16. fall — to drop
  17. charge — in control
  18. bat — the animal
  19. fall — to drop
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. craft — a skill
  23. craft — boats
  24. bat — in an idiom

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