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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. mate — a friend
  3. land — to come down
  4. charge — electricity
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. wax — to grow
  8. ball — a dance
  9. land — a country
  10. mug — a face
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. charge — a price
  14. mug — a cup
  15. land — ground
  16. mate — a partner
  17. rash — hasty
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. rash — a series
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. charge — in control
  23. ball — a great time
  24. mate — to breed

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